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I 


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1 

2 

3 

12  3 

4  5  6 


II.  K.  IIINES,  D.D. 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY 


OK  THE 


PACIFIC  NORTHWEST, 

Containing  the  Wonderful  Story 


ov 


JASON    LEE, 

With   Sketches  of  Many  of  His  Co-laboreis 


ALI.   ILLUSTRATING 


Cife  01?  tl?e  plains  ai^d  ip  tl?e  mouQtaiijs 
IN  PIONEER  DAYS. 


By  H.  K.  HiNES,  D.  D. 


S"; 


£XjXjXTSrCTiJtL.T:EilD. 


PORTLAND:    H.  K.  HINES 
SAN  FRANCISCO:    J.  D.  HAMMOND. 


ir 


j 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1899  by 

H.  K.  HINES, 
In  the  oflSce  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


Marsh  Printing  Company, 
Portland,  Oregon. 


{' 


CONTENTS. 


I. 

THE  OLD  OREGON 

Origin  of  name — Geographical  descripticn— Begin- 
ning of  history — Its  people — Two  great  events. 

II. 
THE  OPENING  VISION         -        -        -        -    '    - 

The  world's  moral  condition — A  moral  awakening — 
The  Indians  search  for  "The  Book" — Response  to 
tbeir  call— Jason  Lee  chosen. 

III. 

THE  INSTRUMENTS  CHOSEN 

Who  was  Jason  Lee? — Conversion  in  school — Teacher 
and  companions — A  call  to  the  missionary  work — 
Appointed  superintendent — The  plan  adopted. 

IV. 

ON  THE  TRAIL 

Lee  reaches  the  frontier — Commencement  of  the 
journey — Incidents — "Scott's  Bluffs" — Ou  the  sum- 
mit of  the  continent — Rendezvous — Meeting  with  the 
Indians — Departure  for  the  west— First  sermon  west 
of  the  mountains — Tragic  incidents — Scarcity  of 
■  food— Tender  reflections— At  Fort  Walla  Walla- 
Down  the  Columbia — Reach  "  Fort  Vancouver." 

.V. 

THE  FIELD  CHOSEN 

.Sources  of  information — Dr.  McLoughliu — In  the 
Willamette  valley — Return  to  Vancouver — First  ser- 
mon— Location  of  mission  chosen — Removal  to  it — 
Building  a  house. 

VL 

THE  OPENING  WORK 

Preparations — Visit  of  Dr.  Parker — Donation  from 
Hudson's  Bay  Company — Young  and  Carmichael — 
An  important  enterprise — Visit  of  Mr,  W.  A.  Slacum 


J7 


33 


44 


58 


83 


98 


I 


4f5R*^7 


4  TABLE  or  CONTENTS. 

— His  letter — Report  to  congress — "We  lap-tu-lekt" — 
Influence  of  the  incident — First  reinforcement — En- 
largement of  mission — Second  reinforcement — ^Trip 
to  the  Umpqua — New  station  at  The  Dalles. 

VII. 

AN  EPOCH  OF  HISTORY 123 

Character  of  society — "  Elect  Ladies" — Romantic 
service — Mr.  Lee's  address — First  marriage  of  whites 
on  the  Pacific  Coast — First  baptism  and  church 
membership, 

VIII. 

LEE'S  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST  ....  138 
Call  for  enlargement — Preparation  for  journey — 
Great  episode  of  history — Historical  Memorial — Its 
influence — Lee's  pathetic  leave  taking — On  the  jour- 
ney— At  The  Dalles— Visit  to  Waiiletpu  and  Lapwai — 
Baptism  in  the  desert — Birthday  reflections — Captain 
Thomas  McKay  and  his  three  sons — Reaches  "Ren- 
dezvous,,— At  the  Shawnee  mission — An  awful  grief. 

IX. 

THE  WORK  IN  OREGON 158 

Mr.  Leslie  in  charge — Death  of  Mrs.  Lee — Her  epi- 
taph— Mr.  Leslie  visits  Wascopam — Work  of  Daniel 
Lee  and  Mr.  Perkins — A  wonderful  revival — "Wil- 
liam McKendree" — Great  revival  at  the  Willamette 

Peu-peu-mox-mox  and  his  son — Death    of   Cyrus 

Shepard  — A  mountain  adventure  — Webley  Haux- 
hurst. 

X. 

MR.  LEE  IN  THE  EAST 186 

At  the  Shawnee  mission— Mr.  Johnson — Visits  the 
Illinois  conference — Robert  Shortess — Lee  at  the 
Missionary  Board — General  enthusiasm — Action  of 
the  Board— Great  reinforcement— Wm.  Brooks— Dr. 
Bangs'  statement— Lee's  letter  to  Caleb  Cushing— 
Action  of  government — Great  plans  of  the  Board — 
"Farewell  meeting" — Reinforcement  sails — "Cen- 
tennial Celebration"  on  the  ship— Expedition  reaches 
the  Columbia. 


TABLE  OF  CONTEXTS. 


XI. 

THE  NEW  ERA 213 

The  force  in  the  field — Appointments — Scattered 
abroad — Tour  to  the  Umpqaa — Exciting  incidents — 
Great  changes  among  the  Indians — Annual  meeting 
— Incidents  of  travel — Why  a  "New  Era?" 

XII. 

NIGHT  AND  MORNING        ......        24a 

Tiansitions — Death  of  Mr.  Lee's  second  wife — Two 
letters— A  new  order  of  life — Educational  movement 
— "The  Oregon  Institute" — Indian  Manual  Labor 
School — A  new  initial — First  Church  on  the  Pacific 
Coast. 

XIII. 

TRIALS  AND  TRIUMPHS 257 

Rumors  of  Indian  wars — Mr.  Lee's  visit  to  The 
Dalles — A  perilous  journey — Meeting  with  Peu-peu- 
mox-mox — Plain  talk — A  remarkable  incident — A 
fearful  tragedy — New  aspects  of  the  work — First 
camp  meeting  among  the  whites. 

XIV. 

CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS 282 

Sudden  and  mighty  changes — Misapprehension  and 
dissatisfaction — Lee's  letters  to  the  Board — Conflict 
of  action — A  new  superintendent  appointed — Mr. 
George  Gary. 

XV. 

LEE  RETURNS  TO  THE  EAST  -        -        -        .        296 

Changes  in  the  mission — Daniel  Lee — ^Jason  Lee  de-        ' 
termioes  to  visit  the  east — David  Leslie  left  in  charge 
— Pathetic  incident — Lee   passes  through  Mexico — 
Reaches  New  York-.Visits  Washington — Meets  the 
Missionary  Board — His  address  and  vindication. 

XVI. 

DEATH  OF  JASON  LEE 314 

Mr.  Lee  visits  his  early  uorae — His  last  sermon — 
His  last  letter — Longing  for  Oregon — His  daughter. 
XVII. 

LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY        .        -        -        -        ^        320 
Mr.  Lee's  personal  qualities — A  thorough  American 


TAlUJi  O!'  CONTENTS. 


His  faith  and  courage  --  His  clear  foresight — The 
true  missionary  idea — The  pioneer  missionary — Lee 
and  Whitman  compared. 

XVHI. 

INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSKD 343 

New  adjustment  of  the  work — (ieorge  (iary  arrives — 
Meeting  of  the  missionaries — Resolve  to  close  the 
Indian  missions — Interesting  coincidence — Mission 
property — Indian  Manual  Labor  School  becomes  the 
Oregon  institute — Value  of  the  mission  property — 
Mr.  Lee's  statement— Statious  of  the  preachers — H. 
K.  W.  Perkins — The  Dalles  station  given  to  the 
American  Board — Rev.  William  Roberts  succeeds  Mr. 
Gary — Characteristics  of  the  Indian  race. 

XIX. 

MISSION  TRAGEDIES 369 

William  Roberts — Organized  first  church  of  Califor- 
nia— Visits  The  Dalles— A  tragedy — Indian  war — The 
country  defenseless — The  missionary  and  mountain- 
eer— The  mission  to  the  rescue. 

XX. 

MISSION  CONFERENCE  ORGANIZED  -  -  -  382 
Oregon  and  California  Missiou  Conference — Roll  of 
Statistics  and  appointments — Rapid  changes — Hegira 
for  gold — Second  session  of  the  conference — Large 
increase  of  members — Last  session  of  tht  Mission 
Conference. 

XXL 

OREGON  ANNUAL  CONFERENCE        -        -        -        -    394 
Bishop  Edward  R.  Ames — A  stone  of  witness — Con- 
ference personnel — Statistics — Appointments — Three 
stages  of  development — Close  of  the  Missionary  Era 
Order  of  development. 

XXIL 

RE;VIEW  of  THE  FIELD 404 

The  pioneers — Their  character  and  work — Illustrat- 
ing incidents — Campmeeting  preaching — Character 

of   population — Summary    of   condition — I'reachers      , 
and  people — Problems. 


TAIil.H  or  COiXTENTS. 


xxni. 

EDUCATIONAL 420 

Indian  Manual  Labor  School — Transfer  of  properlj — 
"Oregon  Institute"  —  Letter  of  G.  Hines — First 
teacher— Arrival  of  Messrs.  Roberts  and  Wilbur — 
Mr.  Doan's  appointment--- Appointment  of  F.  S. 
Hoyt — Arrival  in  Oregon — Difficulties  of  I  be  work 
— Social  conditions — New  educational  work — Letter 
from  Dr.  Hoyt — "Willamette  University"  chartered 
Umpqua  Academy. 

XXIV. 

AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS  -        -        -        -        447 

Organization — Dr.  Parker  commissioned — Journey  to 
Oregon — Board  appoints  missionaries — Their  jour- 
ney— Reach  Walla  Walla — Dr.  McLaughlin's  advice 
Location  of  missions — Gray's  return  to  the  states — 
Mission  reinforced — M.  Eells  statement  received — 
Board  orders  to  break  up  the  missions— Character  of 
mii-sion  church — Dr.  Whitman's  return  to  the  east — 
The  questions  involved — Emigration  of  1842 — Dr. 
Whitman's  journey — Unrest  of  the  Indians — Dr. 
Whitman's  mission  destroyed — Himself  and  wife 
murdered  —  Missrons  destroyed  —  Causes  —  Results 
remaining. 

XXV. 

THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT  -  -  -  487 
Country  without  government — The  contending  par- 
ties— The  stake  at  issue — Memorial  to  Congress — 
First  movements  for  organization — Indian  agent  ap- 
pointed— Debate  in  Lyceum — Address  of  Canadian 
citizens  —  Final  decision  — Organic  laws  adopted^ — 
Form  of  government  '"Provisional" — Oregon's  flag 
the  "Stars  and  Staipes." 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Facing  Page 
Froutispiece—H.  K,  Hint-s. 

Dr.  John  McLoughlin        .--.••-  85 

David  Leslie •        •        -119 

Mrs.  Jasi.n  Lee '43 

Mrs.  H.  Campbell                 •        -   • 213 

A.  F.  Waller      -        -                 25.^ 

First  Church -257 

George  Gary ^93 

J.  L.  Parrish          ...                297 

Lucy  Lee  Grubbs      -----  3«9 

Gustavus  Hines              365 

William  Roberts 37 1 

Oregon  Institute •        '        -  421 

N.  Doane 4^9 

J.  H.  Wilbur 437 

F.  S.  Hoyt          ....                 ...         -  441 

T.  F.  Royal            395 

I.  Dillon 399 

George  Abernethy -        "  489 


INTRODUCTORY. 


IN  presenting  this  "Missi(  -ary  History  of  the 
I^acific  Northwest"  to  the  rea<ling  pubHc  tlie 
\v'riter  has  but  a  few  introductory  observations  to 
make. 

This  work  is  not  the  result  of  a  hasty  impulse, 
nor  was  it  called  forth  by  any  desire  to  serve  per- 
sonal ,  sectional,  or  sectarian  aims.  For  forty-six 
years  the  author  has  been  personally  connected 
with  the  work  of  the  Church  in  the  Pacific  North- 
west, and  more  or  less  intimately  associated  with 
nearly  every  prominent  actor  in  the  history  which 
he  has  endeavored  faithfully  to  record.  Through 
that  association,  in  his  early  life,  the  purpose  which 
he  is  now  endeavoring  to  fulfill  in  this  volume  was 
formed  in  his  mind,  and  he  has  studied  characters 
and  events  in  the  light  of  that  purpose  from  the  be- 
ginning. His  own  v,  ork  as  a  minister  has  led  him 
along  every  watercourse,  over  every  trail,  through 
every  mountain  fastness,  into  every  desert  solitude 
over  which  the  great  pioneers  whose  going  ante- 
dated his  own  coming  by  but  a  few  years  ever 
passed  or  entered.     On  the  grounds  they  conse- 


lo 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


crated,  and  amid  the  very  scenes  of  their  trials  and 
their  triumphs,  he  has  tried  to  reproduce  the  very 
atmosphere  and  spirit  in  which  the  work  here  re- 
corded was  wrought.  He  has  not  attempted  to 
disguise  his  appreciation  of  the  men,  nor  his  admir- 
ation of  the  work  they  performed,  who  prepared 
the  way  of  the  Lord  and  made  straight  in  this 
desert  a  highway  for  our  God.  Surely  unless  a 
writer  has  breathed  the  atmosphere  and  felt  the 
spirit  that  inspired  the  makers  of  history  he  cannot 
justly  interpret  the  history  they  made. 

True  history  is  not  merely  the  faithful  '"ecord  of 
a  series  of  events,  however  accurately  names  and 
dates  and  even  incidents  may  be  written  down, 
but  it  is  a  true  putting  on  the  printed  page  of  the 
philosophy  that  gave  character  to  the  lives  that 
generated  the  activities  and  framed  the  facts  that 
in  their  logical  relations  and  results  formed  what 
we  know  as  history.  The  writer  believes  that  he 
understands  that  philosophy  as  it  relates  to  the 
really  great  personalities  that  gave  form  and  color 
to  the  religious  and  intellectual  life  of  the  old  Ore- 
gon from  the  beginning  of  its  history  until  that  life 
crystalized  into  the  great  commonw.^alths  that 
now  shed  sun  lustre  on  those  who  were  really 
their  founders. 

It  has  not  been  the  intention  of  the  writer  to 


INTRODUCTORY. 


ir 


follow  and  describe  the  incidents  of  personal  life 
more  than  was  necessary  to  place  before  an  intel- 
ligent mind  the  true  sequence  and  relation  of 
things.  The  field  was  so  wide,  the  actors  so  nu- 
merous, the  events  of  such  grave  import  both  to 
the  Church  and  the  Nation,  that  no  other  course 
could  be  adopted. 

It  chanced  that  more  than  in  any  other  part  of 
the  world  the  "Missionary  History  of  the  Pacific 
Northwest"  was  its  civil  hist^y  also  for  the  first 
decade  and  a  half  after  the  American  people  began 
settlement  in  it.  This  was  not  so  much  because  it 
was  the  intention  or  desire  of  the  missionaries  to 
have  it  so  as  from  the  necessity  of  the  position  in 
which  they  were  providentially  placed.  The  larger 
number  of  the  missionaries  were  laymen,  civilians, 
not  clergymen,  whose  interest  in  the  country  was 
that  of  settlers  as  well  as  missionaries.  Nearly  all 
the  family  life — the  home  life — of  the  American 
population  up  to  the  autumn  of  1843  ^^^^  connect- 
ed with  the  missions  in  some  form,  and  hence  the 
necessity  that  the  missionaries  should  be  in  ap- 
pearance, what  they  inevitcibly  were  in  fact,  the 
movers  in  the  initiative  efforts  to  secute  some  form 
of  government  for  the  protection  of  the  virginal 
commonwealth.  Not  to  have  done  so  would  have 
been  treason  to  their  Americanism,  and  have  fatal- 


Iff 


12 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


ly  imperiled  every  interest  that  as  missionaries 
they  were  in  the  country  to  serve.  As  all  this  will 
appear  clearly  in  the  progress  of  the  history  it  needs 
only  this  introductory  mention  here. 

Perhaps  the  author  should  call  special  introduc- 
tory attention  to  those  portions  of  the  book  that 
discuss  the  relation  of  the  missions  to  the  great 
public  and  national  questions  that  were  adjusted 
in  the  occupancy  of  the  Pacific  Northwest  by  the 
American  people,  and  resulted  in  its  final  habilita- 
tion  as  a  distinctly  and  emphatically  American 
commonwealth.  This  is  a  phase  of  history  that 
has  been  largely  overlooked  or  ignored  by  those 
who  have  written  from  the  standpoint  of  the  civil- 
ian purely.  But  no  story  of  this  most  interest- 
ing and  vital  period  of  Oregon  history  that  leaves 
this  out  of  its  account  can  satisfactorily  explain 
what  it  professes  to  chronicle. 

While  the  preparation  of  this  history  has  been 
a  work  of  great  and  long  continued  labor,  it  has 
been  to  its  author  one  of  great  pleasure.  It  has 
brought  him  into  communion  with  a  large  body  of 
the  greatest  men  who  ever  put  an  artist  hand  on 
the  magnificent  superstructure  of  our  Pacific  civi- 
lization. It  has  brought  bis  own  heart  under  the 
splendid   thrall   of   the  great   characters   and   the 


INTRODUCTORY 


13 


great  incidents  and  facts  on  which  that  civilization 
was  built. 

The  authorities  consulted,  the  documents  read, 
and  the  opinions  studied  in  the  preparation  of  this 
work  have  been  so  numerous  that  the  author  can- 
not attempt  to  enumerate  them.  It  is  proper, 
however,  that  he  say  that  the  original  journals,  let- 
ters, and  other  manuscripts  of  Jason  Lee,  together 
with  many  letters  of  Daniel  Lee  and  Cyrus  Shep- 
ard,  the  three  men  who  were  by  two  years  the  first 
representatives  of  American  Christianity  and  civili- 
zation west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  have  thrown 
much  light  on  portions  of  the  history  of  Oregon 
from  1834  to  1844  that  could  never  have  been  had 
elsewhere,  and  to  them  he  is  greatly  indebted. 

With  gratitude  to  a  gracious  God  for  the  years 
and  strength  necessary  to  complete  this  labor  of 
love  just  when  the  Great  Pacific  Northwest  is  en- 
tering an  epoch  of  d'^velopment  and  expansion 
such  as  it  has  never  known  before,  but  which  could 
never  have  come  to  it  without  that  which  came  be- 
fore it,  the  author  submits  this  record  of  the  life, 
labors  and  achievements  of  those  true  Pioneers  of 
the  splendid  Christian  civilization  of  to-day  to  the 
kindly  and  gracious  appreciation  of  the  generation 
which  has  entered  so  happily  into  the  inheritance 


It 


%\ 


% 

%. 


H 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


those  departed  heroes  won  for  them  out  of  the  wil- 
derness by  the  western  seas,  feeling  that 

"Bliss  was  it  at  this  dawn  to  be  alive, 
But  to  be  youug  were  very  heaven." 

H.    K.   HINES. 
Portland,  Oregon,  February,  1899. 


an 


ill  iii 


-^a^^^^ 


! 


^«tvii;att<:^)t. 


to  tlje  pioneer  illniBtnj  of  tlje  Poctftc  Woi-tljroeBt  roUlj  moflt 

of  roljom  U  Ijaa  been  Ijls  ijapptneBB  anb  Ijogor 

to  be  aBsoclateb  for  ncarlij 


In  tljoee  labors  tljot  for  •Qerolflm,  ?De»otlon  anb  great  results 
l)at)e  Ijab  fcro  parallels  in  tl)e  ^Istorij  of  tlje  Cljurclj, 


Is  affcctlonatelij  beblcateb  bxf 

The  Author. 


'A.  . 

1 


I. 


PRELIMINARY. 

THE    OlyD   OREGON. 

"  Where  rolls  the  Oregon, 
And  hears  no  sound  save  his  own  dashings." 

— Thanatopsis. 

\A^HEN  Bryant,  in  1817,  almost  before  the  dew 
*  ■  of  his  youth  had  dropped  from  his  eyehds, 
wrote  the  words  the  reader  has  just  perused,  Ore- 
gon was  a  myth,  a  fable,  a  mystery.  The  name  it- 
self had  owned  a  place  in  geographical  nomenclat- 
ure less  than  half  a  century.  Its  origin,  deriva- 
tion, or  meaning,  was  unknown.  It  simply  lay,  an 
almost  meaningless  cognomen  over  a  vast  stretch 
of  unhistoried  country  west  of  the  "Stony  Moun- 
tains." and  reaching  to  the  tides  of  the  great  ocean 
whose  watery  waves  themselves  were  only  marked 
as  yet  by  the  wayward  keels  of  adventurous  discov- 
erers whose  weird  and  romancing  narrations  had 
only  served  to  make  the  country  more  shadowy, 
and  the  seas  and  mountains  that  girted  it  more 
gloomy  and  defiant. 

Hemmed  in  on  the  one  hand  by  mountains  tip- 
4>ed,with  the  clouds  of  the  sky,  white  with  the 


m 


M' 


I  f 

i 

I.; 


!^ 


i8 


MISS  ION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


*   I 


snows  that  ages  could  not  melt,  and  on  the  other 
by  the  gray  and  desolate  ocean  whose  width  meas- 
ured nearly  half  way  round  the  globe,  "Oregon" 
seemed  a  fit  symbol  of  a  remoteness  and  inac  ssi- 
bility  where,  if  anywhere,  he  who  would  d  a 
place  where  the  "dead"  are  not  might  hope  to  find 
it.  The  poet's  type  of  solitude  and  inaccessibility 
was  well  chosen.  To  statesmanship,  commerce, 
and  even  to  Christianity  itself  it  was  an  unknown 
region.  Only  poetry  could  weave  the  witchery  of 
its  strange  spell  of  flowing  speech  about  it,  albeit 
its  very  spell  was  itself  as  mysterious  as  the  land  of 
which  it  sung.  But  poets  are  often  discoverers, 
discerning  the  real  beyond  the  ideal,  and  leading 
the  feet  of  those  who  do  not  sing,  but  rather 
march  in  the  paths  the  singer  discovers  and  the 
prophet  foretells  to  the  realization  of  the  ideal  of 
which  they  sang  and  prophesied. 

"Oregon."     Whence  came  the  name? 

The  readers  of  this  volume  need  not  fear  that 
they  will  be  led  through  dry  chronologies  or  cos- 
mogonies, or  be  tortured  with  riddles  of  speech  or 
doubtful  guesses  about  aboriginal  names  and  races. 
It  is  well,  however,  that  a  few  initial  facts  and  inci- 
dents be  stated  in  this  "Preliminary"  chapter,  that 
are  so  connected  with  the  theatre  on  which,  or  in 
relation  to  which,  the  events  hereafter  to  be  set 


PRELIMINARY, 


19 


forth  took  place,  that  the  reader  can  only  under- 
stand them  in  the  light  of  their  physical  and  his- 
toric settings.  Only  thus  can  they  take  in  the 
wonderful  story  itself.  So  we  ask  whence  the 
name? 

In  1766-68  Captain  Jonathan  Carver,  of  Con- 
necticut, who  had  won  some  fame  in  the  war 
against  Frar  ce  in  which  England  had  wrested  from 
her  a  part  of  her  American  possessions,  inspired 
with  zeal  to  establish  English  supremacy  over  the 
entire  northern  portion  of  the  American  continent, 
made  an  exploration  of  the  regions  of  the  upper 
Mississippi.  His  intention  was  to  explore  the  en- 
tire breadth  of  the  contmenf  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific,  in  its  broadest  part,  between  the  43d 
and  46th  degrees  of  north  latitude.  He  evidently 
found  the  undertaking  much  greater  than  he  had 
anticipated,  and  after  spending  quite  a  time  about 
the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi,  gathering  what 
information  he  could  from  the  tribes  with  whom  he 
came  into  contact  about  the  country  yet  to  the 
westward,  he  returned  to  the  east  and  published  a 
book  descriptive  of  the  lands  he  had  visited.  It  is 
due  to  history  that  we  transcribe  the  brief  passage 
from  his  published  work  in  which  he  Ubos  the  word 
"Oregon,"  the  first  time  probably  that  it  was  ever 
used  in  print.     In  this  use  he  attaches  the  name  to 


-\'\ 


I! 


Il    s 


!    t 


F 


ao 


M/SS/ONAR  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


i'  ;! 


a  river  instead  of  a  country.     The  reference  is  as 
follows: 

"From  these  natives  [called  by  him  Nandowes- 
sies,  Assinapoils,  and  the  Killislioners,]  together 
with  my  own  observations,  I  have  learned  that  the 
four  most  capital  rivers  of  North  America — the  St. 
Lawrence,  the  Mississippi,  the  River  Bourbon,  and 
the  Oregon,  or  River  of  the  West,  have  their 
sources  in  the  same  neighborhood.  The  waters  of 
the  three  former  are  within  thirty  miles  of  each 
other;  the  latter  known  as  rather  farther  west. 
This  shows  that  these  parts  are  the  highest  in  North 
America;  and  it  is  an  instance  not  to  be  paralleled 
in  the  other  three-quarters  of  the  world,  that  four 
rivers  of  such  magnitude  should  take  their  rise  to- 
gether, and  each,  after  running  separate  courses, 
discharge  their  waters  into  different  oceans  at  a 
distance  of  2000  miles  from  their  sources." 

This,  embracing  all  that  Carver  said  respecting 

Oregon, or  the"Great  River  of  theWest," served  to 

fix  the  name  for  the  vast  region  west  of  the  Rocky 

Mountains  lying  between  the  42d  degree  of  north 

latitude    and    54°  40'.  and    including    all    of    the 

present  s^ates  of  Oregon,  Washington  and  Idaho, 

and  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the  state  of  Montana. 

Carver  gives  no  account  of  the  origin  of  the  name, 

and  no  authority  for  its  use,  and  up  to  this  date  no 

research  has  been  able  to  discover  either.     There 

is  little  doubt  but  it  was  invented  by  Carver,  and 

has  no  historic  or  scientific  significance  whatever, 

except  as  it  is  associated  with  the  mystical  "Great 


PRELIMINARY. 


21 


River  of  the  West,"  and  from  that  passed  to  repre- 
sent the  vast  country  through  which  it  was  sup- 
posed to  flow.  Bryant  at  last  made  it  classic  in 
Thanatopsis. 

Geographically  the  Oregon  of  the  period  covered 
by  the  history  contained  in  this  volume  was  hound- 
ed on  the  north  l)y  what  was  then  known  as  the 
"Russian  Possessions,"  on  the  east  by  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  on  the  south  by  Mexico,  and  on  the 
west  by  the  Pacitic  Ocean,  and  included  an  area  of 
not  less  than  1,000,000  square  miles;    or  over  twen- 
ty states  each  as  large  as  New  York.     Its  magnifi- 
cent  size   was  rivaled   by   its   vast   and    towering 
mountain  ranges,  the  length  and  grandeur  of  its 
rivers,   and   the   wonderful   bays   and   straits   cuul 
sounds  projecting  inland  from  the  ocean,  in  some 
instances  200  miles.     Its  sea  coast,  trending  north 
west  from  the  Mexican  line,  is  closely  pressed  in  all 
its  course  by  what  is  known  as  the  Coast  Range  of 
Mountains.     \\'\\.\\  an  average  altitude  of  perhaps 
.{.ooo  feet,  this  range  has  many  sunnnits  reaching 
8,000.   and.    in   its   northern   extension,    near   the 
Straits  of  Fuca,  some  reaching  10,000.     This  range 
has  a  width  of  not  far  from  forty  miles.     It  then 
sul)sides,  and  a  series  of  valleys  not  far  from  fifty 
miles  wide  supervene  between  it  and  the  greater 
Cascade  Range.     The  greater  of  these  are  the  val- 

'  -■  >> 


^ 


aa 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


ley,  or  basin,  of  Puget  Sound,  which  practically  ex- 
tends from  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  on  the  48^"  of  lati- 
tude southward  to  the  Columbia  River,  a  distance 
of  200  miles,  and  abutting  directly  on  the  Columbia 
against  the  valley  of  the  Willamette,  150  miles 
long  on  the  south.  Sloping  ruggedly  up  from  the 
eastern  borders  of  these  valleys  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains reach  an  altitude  of  10,000  feet,  with  great 
snowy  peaks  rising  from  3,000  to  6,000  feet  higher. 
There  is  hardly  a  spot  in  any  of  these  great  valleys 
from  which  from  one  to  six  of  these  wonderful 
peaks  cannot  be  seen.  This  range  is  about  50 
miles  wide. 

Eastward  of  the  Cascade  Range  is  a  vast,  roll- 
ing, almost  mountainous  plateau,  destitue  of  tim- 
ber, and  reaching  north  and  south  from  the  old 
Mexican  boundarv  to  the  northern  line  of  the  old 
Oregon,  on  an  average  150  miles  wide  from  east 
to  west.  This  is  broken  in  places  by  lateral  spurs 
projecting  on  either  side  from  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains on  the  west  and  the  Blue  Mountains  on  the 
east,  but  nowhere  losing  its  characteristic  identity 
for  a  length  of  500  miles.  This  plateau  is  deeply 
seamed  by  the  gorges  through  which  flow  several 
rivers,  both  from  the  north  and  south,  into  the 
great  Columbia,  which  cuts  the  plateau  and  both 
the  Cascade  and  Coast  Ranges  of  Mountains  from 


PRELIMINARY. 


23 


east   to  west  just   about   in   the   middle   of  their 
reaches  from  north  to  south. 

East  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  which  are  about 
thirty  miles  wide,  the  great  valley  of  the  Snake 
River,  in  which  lies  the  greater  part  of  the  Slate  of 
Idaho,  sweeps  still  eastward  to  the  very  foot  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  This  river,  after  it  has 
cloven  its  way  through  the  Blue  Mountains,  unites 
with  the  main  Columbia,  which  has  swept  down 
from  the  north  and  east  for  fifteen  hundred  miles, 
and  together  they  constitute  the  second  greatest 
river-flow  in  the  United  States  of  America.  It  is 
second  only  in  length.  In  magnificence  of  scenery, 
in  clearness  and  purity  of  water,  in  value  as  a  chan- 
nel of  inter-continental  commerce,  in  the  extent 
and  richness  of  its  fisheries,  it  is  clearly  first  in 
America,  if  not  in  the  world.  It  drains  700,000 
square  miles  of  territory,  including  nearly  all  the 
large  agricultural  areas  of  the  old  Oregon.  The 
only  exception  to  this  is  the  country  west  of  the 
Cascade  Mountains  and  north  of  the  Columbia  be- 
girting  Puget  Sound,  which  among  the  bays  and 
ocean  inlets  of  the  world  has  the  same  pre-emin- 
?nce  that  the  Columbia  has  among  the  rivers. 

This  vast  region,  thus  generally  outlined  to  the 
eye  of  the  attentive  reader,  is  that  where  the  events 
and  histories  which  are  to  be  chronicled  in  this 


SI 


'  1 

I  ■ 

u 


H 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


volume  were  laid  by  Providence.  Its  valleys  and 
river  banks,  its  plains  and  mountain  fastnesses  were 
the  homes  and  haunts  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  in 
whose  behalf  the  work  herein  described  was  under- 
taken. 

At  the  period  when  our  history  begins  these 
tribes  were  as  much  a  myth  and  a  mystery  as  was 
the  land  they  inhabited.  But  we  can  neither  de- 
scribe the  work  attempted  for  them,  nor  character- 
ize the  workmen  that  attempted  it,  without  some 
description  of  the  tribes  themselves,  even  though 
that  description  be  short  and  its  data  largely  tradi- 
tional. Without  a  written  language  of  any  kind, 
unless  it  was  the  use  of  the  rudest  and  most  bar- 
barous symbols,  they  have  passed  away  and  left  no 
recorded  history.  Without  architecture,  except  that 
which  exhausted  its  genius  in  the  construction  of 
skin  wigwams  or  bark  lodges,  they  have  died  and 
left  no  monuments.  No  form  of  civilization  had 
ever  been  brought  them  from  without,  and  they 
had  evolved  none  out  of  themselves.  If  their  an- 
cestors ever  had  any  they  had  utterly  lost  it  out  of 
their  life  and  out  of, the  tendencies  of  their  life. 
So  far  as  we  know  the  Indian  of  1830  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  was  the  living  petrifaction  of  his  remotest 
fathers.  He  slept  in  the  same  smoky  wigwam. 
He  hunted  with  the  same  sinewed  bow.     As  to 


PRELIMINARY. 


'5 


progress,  the  ages  of  God  had  been  thrown  away 
upon  him.  Such  he  was  when  he  first  came  to  the 
observation  of  civilized  and  christiani-ed  man;  of 
the  man  of  progress,  who  had  not,  like  himself, 
thrown  away  the  chance  that  God  had  given  him. 
With  some  distinctions  and  differences,  as  the  vari- 
ous tribes  and  clans  were  found  in  the  lowlands  of 
the  ocean  shore  and  the  lower  rivers,  or  on  the  high 
uplands  of  the  interior  plateau,  or  on  the  dry  and 
cinerous  plains  that  lie  brazen  and  fruitless  far  to- 
wards the  Rocky  Mountains,  this  was  the  general 
state  of  the,  perhaps,  forty  or  tifty  thousand  In- 
dians that  inhabited  the  Oregon  of  1830.  On  the 
lowlands,  in  the  soft,  humid  climate  of  the  coast 
and  lower  valleys,  they  were  dull  and  indolent  and 
filthy.  On  the  interior  plateau,  where  the  altitude 
is  from  500  to  2,000  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  at- 
mosphere IS  as  clear  as  the  sky  is  cloudless,  and  the 
very  air  he  breathed  is  a  thrilling  tonic  in  the  veins, 
where  his  life  was  that  of  a  trained  equestrian  from 
his  very  birth,  he  was  alert,  active,  observant,  with 
keen  perceptions  and  often  a  splendid  physical  en- 
dowment. On  the  fruitless  and  desolate  lava- 
olains  of  the  further  interior,  where  the  climate  was 
more  rigorous  and  the  earth  yielded  but  little  for 
his  sustenance,  his  life  was  a  continued  struggle 
for  the  smallest  supply  of  the  poorest  food,  such  as 


1i  'I 
I  ill 


JS  f  I 


w^ 


26 


MISSION  A  R  V  HISTOR  Y. 


M 


3  I 


il 


haw-berries,  cricketvS,  grasshoppers,  or  ahiiost  any 
Hving  thing  that  crawled  across  his  path.  Hence 
he  was  crafty,  cruel,  murderous. 

There  was  really  no  nationality  among  them. 
They  were  tribes,  or  clans,  only.  It  is  only  by  the 
most  elastic  figure  of  speech  that  we  can  speak  of 
an  "Indian  Nation."  There  was  no  common  lan- 
guage. Each  clan  had  its  dialect.  Not  until  the 
whites  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  invented  a 
"jargon,"  compounded  of  Indian  sounds,  French 
or  English  words  intermixed  and  varied  in  termina- 
tions a;id  accent  and  emphasis,  exceedingly  limited 
in  its  vocabulary,  and  taught  it  by  their  own  use  of 
it  in  their  intercourse  with  all  the  tribes,  was  there 
any  means  of  communicating  intelligently  with 
them.  Even  then  the  means  were  very  imperfect, 
and  the  thought  necessarily  very  restricted. 

Whether  these  people  were  numerous,  whether 
there  was  in  them  any  impulse  of  progress,  or 
whether  they  were  but  few  and  lacking  in  those 
mental  and  moral  yearnings  and  dissatisfactions 
which  are  the  subjective  basis  of  all  efforts  for  a 
larger  and  better  life  in  any  people,  nobody  knows. 
Twenty  years  l^efore,  Lewis  and  Clarke,  under  the 
direction  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  then  President  of 
the  United  States,  whose  statesmanlike  fore- 
thought clearly  prophesied  of  what  ought  to  be 


ill 


PRELIMINARY. 


27 


and  was  to  be  on  the  Oregon  shore,  had  made  their 
unprecedented  journey  of  exploration  to  the  Paci- 
fic Coast.  Their  story,  as  it  was  pubUshed  in  18 14, 
while  it  increased  public  interest  in  the  Westland, 
gave  hut  little  real  information  in  regard  to  the 
aboriginal  tribes.  Their  daily  itinerary,  as  they 
pushed  further  and  further  into  the  then  unknown, 
has  a  certain  interest  to  the  reader,  but  their  ob- 
servations among  the  people  were  so  transient  and 
fragmentary  that  when,  twenty  years  later,  infor- 
mation preparatory  to  a  different  embassy  to  the 
tribes  through  which  their  journey  led  was  sought, 
little  indeed  could  be  obtained.  Their  geographic- 
al observations  were  largely  confined  to  the  imme- 
diate valleys  of  the  Missouri  and  Columbia.  These 
ol)servations  were  intelligent  and  trustworthy,  and 
they  fixed  the  descriptive  geography,  and  made  the 
nomenclature  of  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  riv- 
ers whose  courses  they  traversed  with  a  good  de- 
gree of  fidelity  and  judgment.  As  the  tribes  of 
the  lower  Columbia  regions,  among  whom  they 
spent  the  winter  of  1805  and  1806  were  those 
among  whom  the  first  missionary  work  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  was  begun  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century  later,  it  seems  proper  to  append  a  brief  ac- 
count of  them  from  the  pubUshed  journal  of  the 
expedition.     It  says: 


111 


ill 


i8 


MISSIONAR  V  H/S TOR  Y. 


''The  natives  Avho  inhabit  this  fertile  region  are 
very  numerous.  The  Wapatoo  Inlet  extends  three 
hundred  yards  wide  for  ten  or  twelve  miles,  when  it 
receives  the  waters  of  a  small  creek  whose  sources 
are  not  far  from  those  of  the  Killimuck  [Tillamook] 
river.  On  that  creek  reside  the  Clack-Star  nation, 
a  people  of  1.200  souls,  who  subsist  on  fish  and 
wapatoo,  and  who  trade  by  means  of  the  Killimuck 
river  with  that  nation  on  the  coast.  Lower  down 
the  Inlet  towards  the  Columbia  is  the  tribe  called 
the  Cathlocumup.  On  the  sluice  which  connects 
the  Inlet  with  the  Multnomah  [Willamette]  are 
the  tribes  Cathlanahqua  and  Cathlacomatup,  and 
on  Wapato  [Sauvies]  Island,  Clannaminamum  and 
Clahnaquah.  Immediately  opposite,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Columbia,  are  the  Ouathlapotles  and  the " 
Shotos,  All  these  tribes,  as  well  as  the  Cathla- 
haws,  who  live  on  the  lower  river,  and  have  an  old 
village  on  Deer  Island,  may  be  considered  parts  of 
the  great  Multnomah  Nation  which  had  its  princi- 
pal residence  on  Wapato  Island,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  larger  river,  to  which  they  gave  their  name, 
[Multnomah,  or  now  Willamette].  Forty  miles 
above  its  junction  with  the  Columbia  it  receives 
the  waters  of  the  Clackamas,  a  river  that  may  be 
traced  through  a  wooded  and  fertile  country  to  its 
source  in  Mount  Jefferson,  almost  to  the  foot  of 
which  it  is  navigable  for  canoes.  A  nation  of  the 
same  name  resides  in  eleven  villages  on  its  borders. 
They  live  chiefly  on  grass  and  roots,  which  abound 
in  the  Clackamas  and  along  its  banks,  though  they 
sometimes  descend  to  the  Columbia  to  gather  wap- 
ato, when  they  cannot  be  distinguished  by  dress  or 
manners  or  language  from  the  tribes  of  the  Mult- 
nomah. Two  days  journey  from  the  Columbia,  or 
about  fortv  miles,  are  the  falls  of  the  Multnomah. 


PRELIMINAR  Y. 


29 


At  this  place  are  the  permanent  residences  of  the 
Cashooks  and  the  Chahewahs,  two  tribes  who  are 
attracted  to  that  place  by  the  fish.  *  *  *  These  falls 
are  occasioned  by  the  passage  of  a  high  range  of 
mountains,  beyond  which  the  country  stretches  in- 
to a  high,  lev^l  plain,  wholly  destitute  of  timber. 
As  far  as  tb  ,  Indians  with  whom  we  conversed,  had 
ever  penetrated  that  country,  it  was  inhabited  by 
a  nation  called  Callepoewah,  a  very  numerous  peo- 
ple, whose  villages,  nearly  forty  in  number,  are 
scattered  along  each  side  of  the  Multnomah  (Wil- 
lamette) which  furnishes  them  their  subsistence — • 
fish,  and  the  roots  along  its  banks." 

Obvious  as  it  is  in  the  light  of  later  knowledge 
that  their  personal  observations  were  limited,  and 
the  information  given  them  by  the  Indians  very 
imperfect,  yet  history  must  forever  give  them  the 
honor  of  precedence  in  opening  the  way  for  the 
footsteps  of  civilization  whose  coming  lingered 
long  behind  them,  but  came  at  last  in  the  tracks  of 
their  brave  venture. 

These  clans  of  the  lowlands,  as  before  intimated, 
were  not  of  promising  character  mentally,  morally 
or  physically.  They  lacked  virility.  There  was 
no  spirit  of  passion,  of  lofty  conquest  in  them. 
Lacking  these  they  lacked  everything  that  could  fit 
them  for  the  pursuits  of  civilization,  and  much  more 
for  the  warfare  that  is  not  alone  against  flesh  and 
blood  but  against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  the 
world. 


i ' 


%\\ 


fcfl 


30 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


Eastward  of  the  Cascade  mountains  the  case  was 
different.  The  tribes  were  large.  The  modes  of 
life  among  them  were  more  elevated.  There  was 
more  individual  virility;  much  more  national  spirit. 
They  rode  on  horseback;  very  centaurs  streaming 
over  the  open  plains  in  chase  or  war.  The  Klicki- 
tats.  the  Wascos,  the  Yakimas,  the  Walla  Wallas, 
the  Cayuses,  the  Nez  Perc.es,  all  more  or  less  bound 
together  by  a  community  of  blood,  a  homogeneity 
of  pursuits,  and  all  dwelling  in  a  vast  region  of  the 
same  general  climatic  productions,  and  with  fewer 
dialects  in  their  speech,  they  presented  a  character 
of  more  strength,  and  hence  of  more  hopefulness, 
"^'et  they  were,  from  these  very  facts,  more  intract- 
able, and  when  Lewis  and  Clarke  passed  down  the 
Columbia  through  the  vast  plains  on  whose  mar- 
gins they  inhabited  they  saw  and  heard  compara- 
tively little  of  them. 

Such  were  the  mythical  regions,  and  such  the  not 
less  mythical  ];)eople  that  inhabited  them,  at  the 
end  of  the  first  quarter  of  the  19th  century.  The 
two  great  events  that  had  set  slightly  ajar  both  the 
western  and  the  eastern  doors  of  access  to  these 
regions  and  these  people  were  the  discovery  of  the 
Columbia  river  in  1792  by  Captain  Robert  Gray, 
of  Boston,  and  the  tracing  of  that  same  river's 
course  by  Lewis  and  Clarke  in  1805  from  the  moun- 


PRELIMINARY 


31 


tain  springs  on  the  summit  of  the  American  conti- 
nent to  where  the  crystal  drops  that  burst  from  be- 
neath the  everwasting  yet  never  dissolving  glaciers 
nearly  two  thousand  miles  away,  mingled  with  the 
briny  tide  that  on  that  special  day  bore  the  keel  of 
Gray's  good  ship  Columbia.  The  American  Flag 
thus  floated  in  by  the  sea,  and  thus  marched  down 
by  land,  consecrated  every  league  of  the  mighty 
river's  flood  to  an  Anglo-American  civilization  of 
which  they  were  the  providential  prophets  and  fore- 
runners. Strangely  enough  the  eyes  of  the  Span- 
iard and  the  Briton,  as  they  sailed  by  the  mouth 
of  the  "Great  River  of  the  West"  were  holden 
that  they  could  not  see  it.  Strangely  enough,  the 
Briton  and  the  Russian  and  even  the  Frenchman 
were  turned  aside  from  the  springs  that  fountain 
the  mighty  river,  and  led  down  roaring  torrents 
through  cloven  mountains  to  inhospitable  coasts. 
Strangely  enough  some  propitious  angel  touched 
the  eyes  of  the  Americans,  Gray  and  Clarke  and 
Lewis,  and  they  saw,  and  entered  in. 

Still  there  was  an  interregnum  in  unified,  con- 
centrated, decisive  action.  Moving  figures,  half 
mythical,  half  real,  climbed  the  mountains  or  trail- 
ed through  the  forests,  or  shot  down  the  rivers  in 
flashing  canoes.  Slowly,  almost  imperceptibly, 
the  movement  thickens,  quickens,  and  finallv  the 


■  l''.! 


S\ 


1  ', 


I 


'  t 


32 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


mightiest  forces  that  God  has  set  in  the  human 
soul  for  all  that  is  thrilling  and  beneficent  in  human 
progress  in  every  line  of  that  progress,  are  set  to  a 
work  that  had  no  limit  of  purpose  but  the  limit  of 
man's  possibility  of  moral,  social,  intellectual,  and 
spiritual  elevation. 

How  these  potencies  were  planted  in  the  "Old 
Oregon;"  how  they  wrought  and  evangelized  and 
civilized  until  they  created  the  "New  Oregon,"  is 
what  we  are  to  see  in  the  story  that  follows: 


II. 

THE    OPENING    VISION. 

The  heavens  were  opened,  and  I  saw  visions  of  God. 

— EzEKiEL. 

THE  first  half  of  the  present  century  may  be 
said  to  date  the  beginning  of  the  modern  mis- 
sionary movement.  For  ages  there  had  been  lit- 
tle aggressiveness  in  the  Church.  Religion  was 
worship,  not  work.  Piety  had  degenerated  into 
monkish  cloistering,  or,  if  sometimes  it  had  other 
impulse,  it  exhausted  itself  in  swinging  censers  and 
mumbling  rituals.  Meanwhile  the  myriads  of  hu- 
manity swept  by  the  doors  of  church  and  convent 
and  cathedral  to  death.  The  priests  were  brutish 
and  the  people  loved  to  have  it  so. 

Wesley  and  his  small  though  gallant  and  devot- 
ed corps  of  helpers,  had  stirred  up  a  deeper  spirit- 
ualitv  of  life  and  a  holier  zeal  of  endeavor  in  Eng- 
land,  and  their  influence  had  reached  across  the  At- 
lantic and  kindled  answering  zeal  in  America,  but 
that  zeal  had  expended  its  force  mostly  along  the 
Atlantic  seaboard.  A  few  adventurous  spirits, 
chosen  out  of  the  more  robust  and  deter- 
mined of  the  Atlantic  pioneers,  had  scaled  the  Al- 
leganies  and  planted  far  advanced  outposts  in  the 


|j! 


.'i 


ti« 


)■' 


w 


34 


MISSION AR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


\  ( 


valleys  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Holston,  but  the  men 
were  few  and  their  means  limited,  and,  besides,  the 
fulness  of  the  times  had  not  yet  come.  The 
Church  was  waiting  on  Providence. 

As  the  years  grew  on  Methodism  in  America  be- 
gan to  accrete  and  consolidate  her  potent  individ- 
vidualism  into  a  compact  and  powerful  organism. 
She    did    this    under    a    magnificent    leadership. 
Scarcely  Loyola  himself  had  greater  ecclesiastical 
generalship,  or  a  loftier  spirit  of  consecration  to  his 
ideal   work   than   had   Asbury.       His   lieutenants 
were  like  him,  or  they  soon  ceased  to  be  his  lieu- 
tenants.    With  a  statesman's  mental  grasp  and  a 
warrior's  imperious  \\\\\  he  was  the  man  for  the 
hour  and  the  crisis  of  Methodism.     With  himself, 
under  the  great   "Captain  of  our  Salvation,"   as 
leader  awd  commander  of  the   people,   and   sucli 
men  as  Jesse  Lee,  Freeborn  Garrettson  and  Wil- 
liam McKendre,  followed  later  by  Elijah  Hedding, 
Nathan  Bangs  and  \Vilbur  Fisk  and  their  hundred 
equals  to  carry  out  his  orders  on  the  field,  there 
could  be  no  want  of  wisdom  in  design  or  vigor  in 
execution.     But  the  face  of  the  Church  was  to- 
ward the  east.     Judson  had  burst  ajar  the  gates  of 
Burmah,  Cox  had  opened  the  western  door  of  the 
Dark  Continent,  and  the  churches  were  preparing 
to  carry  another  crusade  over  the  plains  of  the  Ori- 


THE  OPENING   17S/0N. 


Jg 


ent.  There  was,  it  must  he  confessed,  a  spleiulid 
inspiration  in  the  thought  that  Bethlehem's  Star 
should  rise  again  on  India's  sky  out  of  the  western 
horizon.  No  wonder  that,  for  a  time,  the  Church 
forgot  the  west,  and  even  the  American  Church 
thought  and  prophesied  only  of  "Africa's  sunny 
fountains  and  India's  coral  strands."  But  God 
never  forgets.  His  needy  children  are  in  His 
heart  and  thought  forevermore;  and  in  His  own 
good  time  He  will  givfe  their  need  a  voice  that  will 
awaken  His  people  to  deliver  and  save  the  perish- 
ing. So,  suddenly,  out  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
He  peals  a  call  that  faces  the  Church  westward  as 
well  as  eastward.     It  was  on  this  wise: 

From  the  Mississippi  to  the  western  sea  there 
stretched  a  wild  and  weird  unknown.  Dim  rumors 
of  its  great  mountains  and  broad  valleys,  teeming 
with  a  wild  and  savage  life,  had  crept  a  little  east- 
ward of  the  Missippi,  but  had  hardly  reached  the 
ear  of  the  Church  in  her  places  of  power  and  au- 
thority in  the  cities  of  the  Atlantic.  Whether  the 
wild  tribes  of  that  vast  western  region  had  any 
idea  of  God  or  any  susceptibility  of  progress,  none 
knew;  scarcely  any  inquired.  But  God  has  ways 
to  make  the  church  hear  when  His  time  has  come. 
"The  man  of  Macedonia"  can  ever  make  his  "Come 
over  and  help  us"  audible  when  God  bids  him 
speak. 


'1:1' 


TIT 


36 


MISS  ZONA  R  Y  I  US  TORY. 


■    i 
1    : 


Up  among  the  springs  that  fount'ain  the  Cohtni- 
bia.  in  one  of  the  smiling  valleys  of  the  great  moun- 
tains, in  1832  the  chiefs  of  the  Flat  Head  Indians 
are  in  serious  council.  They  are  not  painted  as 
for  war,  nor  armed  as  for  the  chase.  A  look  of 
deep  reflection  is  on  the  faces  of  the  old  men;  of 
listening  inquiry  on  those  of  the  younger.  They 
were  rehearsing  in  each  other's  ears  a  strange 
story  that  wandering  trappers  had  brought  to  their 
wigwams.  It  was  the  story  of  the  white  man's 
worship;  of  the  book  that  told  him  of  God  and 
immortality,  and  of  the  presence  and  power  of  the 
Great  Spirit.  The  Indian  is  a  worshipper — feeling 
after  God  in  his  dim  way,  if  haply  he  may  find  Him; 
and  such  a  story  must  needs  find  and  hold  his  heart. 

Through  many  such  cotmcils,  in  the  simple  and 
sincere  way  of  these  uut.'iught  children  of  nature, 
this  investigation  cnitinued.  The  conclusion 
reached  was.  if  there  were  such  treasures  even  far 
away  they  must  find  them.  They  selected  one  of 
their  old  sachems,  and  with  him  a  trusted  brave  of 
full  years,  and  two  young  and  daring  men,  and  with 
the  benedictions  of  those  thev  left  behind  them  the 
four  went  out  on  their  sublime  search. 

How  often  we  are  taught  that  God's  messengers 
are  not  all  commissioned  from  the  schools  of  the 
prophets.     He  has  all  seasons  and  all  instrumen- 


'I 


OPENING   VISION. 


37 


talities  for  His  own.  The  heart  c>{  humanity  beats 
round  the  world,  and  God  can  touch  that  heart 
anywhere  with  a  thrill  of  His  own  inspiration. 
His  providences  are  beyond  our  ken,  and  His  king- 
dom is  advanced  by  means  all  His  own.  This  was 
never  more  wonderfully  seen  than  in  the  manner  in 
which  the  Church  was  first  made  aware  that  the 
great  tribes  of  this  far  west  were  repeating  the 
vision  and  mission  of  the  Magi: — they  "saw  His 
star  in  the  east  and  came  to  worship  Him." 

In  1832  St'.  Louis  was  a  hamlet  of  the  far  fron- 
tier. It  was  the  resort  of  hunters  and  trappers, 
where  they  came  to  dispose  of  their  furs  and  pel- 
tries, and  whence  they  went  again  to  seek  other 
treasures  of  the  forest  and  mountains.  Many 
weeks  after  the  Indian  council  among  the  moun- 
tains four  Indians  walked  stealthily  down  its 
streets,  looking  everywhere  as  for  a  hidden  treas- 
ure. Finally  they  appealed  to  General  William 
Clarke,  of  whose  name  the  two  older  of  the  com- 
pany had  heard  a  quarter  of  a  century  before,  away 
up  in  their  far  mountain  home,  when  he  and  Gen- 
eral Meriweather  Lewis  had  passed  through  the 
mountains  on  their  way  to  the  western  sea.  To 
him  they  stated  the  object  of  their  search.  They 
were  received  kindly,  amply  supplied  with  blankets 
and  ornaments,  but  neither  General   Clarke  nor 


X 

I 

■ .  I 


'i:-3-\  1    .ill  -.4  J 


Tl 


^■^ 


^  i 


3S 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


'1  f ' 


anybody  in  that  Roman  Catholic  frontier  town 
gave  them  any  satisfaction  as  to  the  object  of  their 
embassy.  They  waited  until  their  heart  became 
weary,  and  two  of  their  number  had  died,  and  then 
the  remaining  two  prepared  to  go  back  to  their 
distant  people  with  their  tale  of  disappointment. 

The  Indian  is  ceremonious,  and  these  desired 
and  were  granted  a  farewell  leave-taking  in  the 
rooms  of  General  Clarke's  Indian  agency,  hung  and 
carpeted  with  robes  and  furs  from  the  forest.  Thi'' 
was  their  farewell  speech,  as  well  as  an  Indian's 
rugged  and  stormy  eloquence  can  be  interpreted 
into  English. 

"We  came  to  you  over  a  trail  of  many  moons 
from  the  setting  sun.  You  were  the  friend  of  our 
fathers  who  have  all  gone  the  long  way.  We 
came  with  our  eyes  partly  opened  for  more  light 
for  our  people  who  sit  in  darkness.  We  go  back 
with  our  eyes  closed.  How  can  we  go  back  blind 
to  our  blind  people?  We  made  our  way  to  you  with 
strong  arms,  through  many  enemies  and  strange 
lands  that  we  might  carry  back  much  to  them. 
We  go  back  with  empty  and  broken  arms.  The 
two  fathers  who  came  with  us — the  braves  of  many 
winters  and  wars — we  leave  here  asleep  by  your 
great  wigwam.  They  were  tired  in  their  journey 
of  many  moons,  and  their  moccasins  were  worn 
out. 

Our  people  sent  us  to  get  the  white  man's  Book 
of  Heaven.  You  took  us  where  they  worship  the 
Great  Spirit  with  candles,  but  the  Book  was  not 
there.     You  showed  us  the  images  of  good  spirits. 


f 


THE  OPENING   VISION. 


39 


and  pictures  of  the  good  laud  beyond,  but  the 
Book  was  not  among  them  to  tell  us  the  way. 
You  made  our  feet  heavy  with  burdens  of  gifts,  and 
our  moccasins  will  grow  old  with  carrying  them, 
but  the  Book  is  not  among  them.  We  are  going 
back  the  long,  sad  trail  to  our  people.  When  we 
tell  them,  after  one  more  snow,  in  the  big  counsel, 
that  we  did  not  bring  the  Book,  no  word  will  be 
spoken  by  our  old  men,  nor  by  our  young  braves. 
One  by  one  they  will  rise  up  and  go  out  in  silence. 
Our  people  will  die  in  darkness,  and  they  will  go 
on  the  long  path  to  other  hunting  grounds.  No 
white  m.n  will  go  with  them,  and  no  Book  of 
Heaven  to  make  the  way  plain.  We  have  no  more 
words." 

There  is  a  sad,  wild  pathos  in  that  speech.  Few 
like  it  have  ever  been  heard.  It  seems  the  wail  of 
a  heart  broken  in  sorrow  for  a  lost  hope.  As  soon 
as  these  sad  words  had  fallen  from  the  lips  of  the 
speaker,  these  r;(i  men  turned  away  westward  to- 
wards their  home  and  people  bearing  to  them  only 
the  grief  of  a  great  disappointment.  Only  one 
Uved  to  reach  his  people.  Possibly  we  can  imag- 
ine the  sadness  of  his  reception  and  the  grief  of  his 
people  as  he  rehearsed  the  failure  of  his  mission 
and  told  where  he  had  left  his  companions  in  si- 
lence and  death. 

But  was  this  mission  of  these  children  o\  the 
mountains  a  failure?  To  them  individually,  yes; 
but  to  the  American  Church,  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  especially  to  Methodism,  no. 


40 


MIS  SI  ON  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  Y. 


I 


I 


A  few  months  had  passed  after  the  retiiin  of 
the  Indian  messengers  to  their  people,  when, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  George  Catlin, 
their  story  was  published  in  the  newspapers,  and  it 
was  soon  read  in  all  the  cities  and  villages  of  the 
land.  Its  publication  in  the  Christian  Advocate 
and  Journal  thrilled  the  heart  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  as  it  had  never  been  thrilled  be- 
fore. Instead  of  the  Church  seeking  the  heathen 
the  heathen  were  seeking  the  Church. 

On  the  20th  of  March,  1833,  Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk, 
D.D.,  placed  a  communication  before  the  Mission- 
ary Board  upon  the  subject  of  a  mission  to  the 
Flathead  Indians,  to  be  established  at  once.  The 
Board  mimediately  proceeded  so  far  as  to  order  the 
Secretary,  Rev.  Nathan  Bangs,  D.  D.,  to  confer 
with  the  Bishops  and  others  in  relation  to  the  Flat- 
heads.  On  the  17th  day  of  April,  Bishop  Emory 
communicated  to  the  Board  the  fact  that  he  had 
consulted  with  the  war  department  of  the  national 
government  and  had  learned  that  that  department 
had  no  knowledge  of  any  such  tribe.  Still  he  thought 
that  the  inquiry  should  not  be  given  up  without 
consulting  with  General  Clarke,  as  it  was  through 
him,  professedly,  that  the  call  for  the  Book  o{ 
Heaven  had  come  to  the  ears  of  the  Chun:-. 
Through  that  correspondence  some  very  interest- 


THE  OPENING   VISION. 


ii 


■■v« 


ing  reports  of  that  tribe  and  some  related  and  ad- 
jacent tribes  were  communicated  to  the  Board. 
These  had  their  effect,  and  the  Board  immediately 
resolved  to  proceed  at  once  to  establish  "a  mission 
among  the  Indians  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains." 
Among  the  ablest,  as  they  were  the  most  earnest 
of  the  advocates  of  this  proposition  were  Dr.  Wil- 
bur Fisk  and  Dr.  Nathan  Bangs.  Dr.  Bangs  was 
the  first  Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Church  which  had  been  in  existence  only 
a  few  years,  and  up  to  this  time  had  established 
only  a  single  foreign  mission,  that  of  Liberia,  on  the 
western  coast  of  Africa,  and  to  which  Melville  B. 
Cox,  of  Maine,  h?,d  been  appointed.  Dr.  Bangs 
gave  not  only  the  influence  of  his  position  to  the 
proposed  plan  but  the  full  power  of  his  trained 
pen  and  voice.  Dr.  Fisk  was  at  that  time  the 
most  potent  personality  in  the  Church.  He  was 
educated,  eloquent,  devoted,  and  stood  at  the  head 
of  the  educational  work  of  the  Church.  Up  to  the 
present  day  Methodism  has  produced  few  equal 
and  none  superior  to  Dr.  Fisk.  His  powerful  and 
eloquent  appeals  in  the  pulpits  of  New  England 
and  New  York,  and  also  through  the  press,  which, 
even  at  that  early  day,  was  beginning  to  sway  a 
mighty  power  over  the  thought  and  life  of  Meth- 
odism, bore  the  Church  right  onward  to  the  con- 


i  I 


:i 


I 


42 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


\ 


il 


«i: 


iRtI 


elusion  that  it  was  her  imperative  duty  to  send  the 
mess  '^  of  hope  and  salvation  to  the  red  men  of 
the  dist.  est  who  had  so  plaintively  called  for  it, 
as  she  had  but  just  sent  it  to  the  black  men  on  the 
coast  of  Africa.  The  conclusion  was  heroic,  and 
in  it  Methodism  began  to  gird  herself  for  her 
march  of  conquest  round  the  world. 

When  this  conclusion  was  reached  it  was  largely 
an  abstraction  to  the  general  church  and  the  pub- 
Uc  mind.  A  mission  was  to  be  established,  but 
there  was  no  missionary.  "Who  will  go  for  us?" 
became  immediately  the  paramount  question.  A 
great  hour  had  come  and  the  man  for  the  hour  was 
wanted. 

The  Church  turned  at  once  to  Dr.  Fisk  as  the 
man  almost  certain  to  voice  the  Divine  selection. 

The  reasons  for  that  confidence  were  apparent. 
His  judgments  were  discriminating  and  his  intui- 
tions clear.  His  zeal  for  her  was  consuming,  but 
it  was  evenly  tempered  with  discretion.  His  op- 
portunity for  forming  reliable  opinions  of  men  and 
means  was  unrivaled.  As  principal  of  Wilbraham 
Academy  he  had  under  his  training  many  young 
men  of  brilliant  talents  and  devoted  piety,  coupled 
with  lofty  aspirations  for  themselves  and  the 
Church  and  cause  they  served.  Among  them 
were  Jefferson  Hascal,  David  Patten,  Moses  Hill, 


THE  OPENING   VISION 


43 


Miner  Raymond,  Osmon  C.  Baker,  and  last  but 
not  least,  Jason  Lee.  It  was  natural  that,  when 
Dr.  Fisk  was  expected  to  find  the  fitting  instru- 
n5ent  for  this  great  missionary  undertaking,  he 
should  seek  that  instrument  among  those  of  whom 
he  knew  so  much  and  in  whom  he  confided  so  fully. 
His  answer  was  explicit:  "I  know  but  one  man, 
JASON  LEE.''  This  selection  was  prompt  and 
emphatic,  and  received  such  a  warm  approval  from 
the  authorities  of  the  Church  wherever  Mr.  Lee 
was  known,  that  it  was  not  long  before  the  whole 
question  was  settled,  and,  on  the  17th  of  July, 
1833,  Mr.  Lee  was  officially  designated  as  the  lead- 
er of  the  great  missionary  adventure.  But  before 
we  take  up  the  story  of  his  work  our  readers  will 
desire  to  know  more  of  the  workman  himself. 


1 


: '!  il 


I ',  ii 


IP 


\ 
i 
1 


,1 

,■■■! 
■1 

"I: 

1 

4 

■•;i 

'■''■} 

it  ii 


III. 

THE    INSTRUMENTS    CHOSEN.  ,, 

I  have  chosen  you  and  ordained  you  that  ye  should  go 
and  bring  forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  remain. 

—Jesus. 

JASON  LEE  came  of  an  honorable  and  Chris- 
tian, if  not  of  a  distinguished  parentage. 
His  father,  Daniel  Lee,  was  born  in  Connecticut 
when  that  State  was  a  wilderness..  Near  by,  in  a 
log  cabin  embowered  in  the  deep  woods,  was  born 
his  mother,  Sarah  Whitaker.  It  is  related  that  as 
the  infant  Sarah  lay  in  her  cradle  while  the  cabin 
door  stood  open  one  bright  spring  day,  a  huge  bear 
rushed  through  the  open  room.  Mr.  Whitaker,  a 
man  of  great  strength,  grappled  with  the  bear  and 
threw  him  to  the  ground,  calling  on  his  wife  to 
shoot  him,  but  she,  in  the  excitement  of  the  mo- 
ment, was  unable  to  do  so,  and  Mr,  Whitaker,  dis- 
engaging himself  from  the  embrace  of  the  shaggy 
monster,  seized  the  gun,  and  as  bruin  was  climbing 
a  tree  near  the  house  brought  him  down  with  a 
fatal  shot.  Amid  the  scenes  and  wrestlings  of 
such  a  pioneer  life,  and  with  all  the  hardihood  of 
body  and  independence  of  mind  they  develope,  the 
parents  of  Jason  Lee  had  their  childhood,  youth, 


THE  INSTRUMENTS  CHOSEN. 


45 


■  /•: 


and  early  married  life.     After  their  marriage,  Mr. 
I)«niel  Lee  and  his  excellent   Christian  wife  re- 
mained  in   their  native  State  for  almost   fifteen 
years,  and  then  removed  to  Rutland,  Vermont; 
and  thence,  after  a  few  years,  joined  the  band  of 
•hardy  New  Englanders  that  had  settled  Stanstead, 
fn' Canada  East,  about  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1800.     Here,  amidst  the  hardships  and  toils  of  pio- 
neer life,  at  fifty  years  of  age,  Mr.  Daniel  Lee  gave 
his  heart  to  God,  and  after  two  years  of  singular  de- 
votion to  the  Divine  service,  was  called  to  the  rest 
of  tlie  just.     His  death  threw  upon  Mrs.  Lee  the 
care  of  her  large  family  of  children.     The  country 
was  new.     Her  means  were  limited.     Still,  with 
the  goodness  of  the  saint  and  the  resolution  of 
the  heroine,  she  toiled  on,  striving  to  give  her  chil- 
dren  a   substantial   education,   and   thus   prepare 
them  for  wider  fields  of  usefulness  than  she  had 
trodden.     The  success  of  her  pious  endeavors,  as 
well  as  the  vindication  of  her  grand  womanhood 
and  motherhood,  are  seen  in  the  honorable  and 
useful  record  that  not  a  few  of  her  descendants 
have  made  for  the  name  of  Lee. 

Of  this  parentage  Jason  Lee  was  born  in  Stan- 
stead  in  1803.  His  early  training,  under  the  stren- 
uous exactions  of  a  life  in  the  wilderness,  was 
of  the  kind  that  builds  a  sturdy  and  independent 


I 


% 


'•>■'     d 


(! 


I 


46 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


i  ,1 


H  i 


n 


I   I,-;'! 


Sll 


manhood,  physically  and  mentally;  though  it  is 
not  necessary  for  the  purposes  of  our  history  to 
relate  its  incidents. 

From  the  settlement  of  Canada  East  until  1820, 
religious  privileges  were  few,  and  the  work  of  the 
Christian  ministry  scarcely  known.  Suddenly  "the 
voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness"  was  heard. 
Hick,  a  Wesleyan  minister,  burst  unannounced  in- 
to the  forest  settlement  and  startled  its  dwellers  by 
his  clarion  call  to  repentance.  His  ministry  was 
able,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  that  decided  and 
fruitful  Christian  life  for  which  the  Methodism  of 
Stanstead  and  all  Lower  Canada  soon  became  fa- 
mous. He  was  followed  by  Pope,  and  after  him 
came  Turner;  names  redolent  of  goodness  and 
faith,  the  fragrant  memory  of  which  is  yet  rehears- 
ed in  the  traditions  of  Canada  Methodism.  A. 
wonderful  revival  of  religion  was  enjoyed  under  the 
labors  of  these  devoted  and  godly  men. 

While  this  revival  was  in  full  progress  Jason  Lee 
came  down  from  the  pineries  of  the  north,  where 
he  had  been  employed,  and  was  astonished  to  find 
that  all  things  had  become  new  about  his  old  home. 
Old  faces  wore  a  new  glory,  old  friends  spoke  a 
new  tongue.  The  song  of  the  revel  and  the  shout 
of  the  fray  had  given  place  to  the  hymns  of  Zion 
and  the  praises  of  the  sanctuary.    These,  however. 


THE  INSTRUMENTS  CHOSEN 


47 


found  no  sympathetic  response  in  his  heart.  Still 
his  was  too  true  and  manly  a  heart  not  to  be  moved 
and  it  was  also  too  true  and  manly  to  be  moved  by 
mere  impulse.  Action,  with  him,  was  always  con- 
siderate, deliberate,  decided.  Measuring  and 
weighing  the  question  that  he  felt  he  must  now 
decide,  for  some  time  he  stood  apart,  his  mind 
gradually  inclining  in  its  most  intelligent  convic- 
tions to  the  side  of  Christianity.  On  a  Sabbath, 
while  returning  home  from  church  in  company 
with  his  nephev/;  afterwards  Rev.  Daniel  Lee,  his 
companion  and  coadjutor  in  the  Oregon  Mission, 
the  latter  spoke  to  him  about  the  salvation  of  his 
soul.  He  was  answered  only  by  a  silent  tongue 
and  downcast  eye;  most  impressive  of  all  answers. 
Returning  to  the  church  again  in  the  evening, 
while  the  people  were  engaged  in  a  prayer  meet- 
ing, he  stood  up  in  their  midst  and  announced  his 
firmly  formed  resolve  to  be  a  Christian.  All  hearts 
thrilled  as  his  tall  form,  six  feet  and  three  inches 
in  height,  the  very  impersonation  of  manhood  and 
strength,  rose  in  their  midst  and  he  began  to  speak. 
His  own  emotions  were  deep,  and  tears  flowed  free- 
ly as  he  uttered  the  vows  that  gave  to  Christ's 
grace  a  new  and  rare  trophy;  to  evangelical  Chris- 
tianity one  of  her  most  apostolic  servants. 

Jason   Lee  was  converted   in  the  twenty-third 


'i  \: 


m 


48 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


ll 


year  of  his  age.  For  two  or  three  years  thereafter 
he  continued  at  his  accustomed  manual  toil,  while 
all  the  time  the  thought  was  growing  upon  him 
that  God  had  other  business  for  him  to  do.  When 
this  thought  had  become  so  deeply  a  conscio  .isness 
that  to  longer  resist  it  was  to  fight  againsl.  God, 
he  laid  down  the  implements  of  labor,  and  in  the 
autumn  of  1827  entered  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  at 
Wilbraham,  Massachusetts. 

.  This  institution  was  then  under  the  presidency 
of  Dr.  Wilbur  Fisk.  Mr.  Lee  entered  the  institu- 
tion in  company  w  ith  a  class  of  young  men  of  rare 
genius  and  talent,  some  of  whose  names  have  al- 
ready been  mentioned.  His  most  intimate  friend  in 
school  and  ever  thereafter  was  Osmon  C.  Baker. 
Years  afterward,  when  this  friend  had  become  one 
of  the  most  revered  Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  Jason  Lee  had  gone  up  to  even 
a  higher  place  than  that  in  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
Mr.  Baker  drew  the  following  picture  of  the  man 
and  his  work  while  in  school: 

"He  was  a  large,  athletic  young  man,  six  feet 
and  three  inches  in  height,  with  a  fully  developed 
frame,  and  a  constitution  of  iron.  His  piety  was 
deep  and  uniform,  and  his  life,  in  a  very  uncommon 
degree,  pure  and  exemplary.  In  those  days  of  ex- 
tensive and  powerful  revivals,  I  used  to  observe 
with  what  confidence  and  satisfaction  seekers  of 
religion  would  place  themselves  under  his  instruc- 


THE  INSTRUMENTS  CHOSEN 


49 


tion.  They  regarded  him  as  a  righteous  man, 
whose  prayer  availed  much,  and  when  there  were 
indications  that  the  Holy  Spirit  vvas  moving  on  the 
heart  of  a  sinner  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaint- 
ances, his  warm  christian  heart  would  incite  him 
to  constant  labor  until  dehverance  was  proclaimed 
to  the  captive." 

So  highly  did  Dr.  Fisk  estimate  the  character 
and  talents  of  Mr.  Lee  that,  on  the  organization 
of  an  important  class  of  these  promising  young 
gentlemen  in  the  academy  he  put  them  under  his 
care,  knowing  that  his  energy  and  stability  quali- 
{led  him  to  govern  well,  and  his  solid  talents  to 
thoroughly  instruct  those  committed  to  his  care. 

Before  and  during  his  residence  at  Wilbraham 
Mr.  Lee's  mind  had  been  deeply  impressed  with  the 
feeling  that  the  work  and  duty  of  his  life  would  be 
to  live  and  labor  for  the  Indian  tribes.  This  feel- 
ing remained  after  his  return  to  Stanstead,  and 
while  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  St?-  •  tvad 
Academy.  Himself  and  Osmon  C.  Baker  had  al- 
most formed  plans  for  united  labor  in  Pagan  lands. 
Under  date  of  March,  1831,  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Baker 
as  follows: 

"I  have  not  forgotten  the  red  men  of  the  west, 
though  I  am  not  yet  among  them.  O,  that  I  had 
some  one  like  yourself  to  go  with  me.  and  help  me 
in  the  arduous  work,  with  whom  I  could  hold 
sweet  converse.  Or  could  I  be  assured  that  I 
should,  in  a  few  years,  embrace  you  in  the  wilds,  and 


50 


MISSION  A  R  y  HIS  TOR  V. 


I 


!  I 


have  you  for  a  coiupaiion  as  long  as  the  good  Lord 
should  have  need  of  us  in  the  forests,  I  could  cheer- 
fully forego  all  the  pleasure  I  receive  from  the  soci- 
ety of  friends  here,  tear  myself  from  the  embrace  of 
my  nearest  and  dearest  relatives,  and  go  (as  John 
before  our  Lord)  and  prepare  the  way  before  you. 
But  I  am  building  castles  in  the  air.  No!  no!  that 
I  fear  can  never  be.  Not  my  will,  but  thine,  O  Lord, 
be  done." 

After  Mr.  Lee's  return  to  Canada  he  engaged  in 
the  active  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry  under  the 
direction  of  the  Wesleyan  missionaries  in  his  native 
town  and  towns  adjacent,  and  among  those  with 
whom  his  boyhood  and  youth  had  been  spent. 
His  life  work  was  gradually  opening  before  him, 
and  he  was  preparing  himself  to  enter  in.  His 
studies  were  earnestly  prosecuted,  and,  amidst  the 
hard  work  of  an  incipient  ministerial  career,  and 
the  toil  necessary  to  sustain  himself  in  it,  his  whole 
being  was  broadening  for  the  coming  responsibil- 
ity. 

He  had  offered  his  services  to  the  \\^esleyan  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  London  as  a  missionary  among 
the  Indians  of  Canada,  and  when  the  spring  of  1833 
came  he  w^as  waiting  anxiously  the  result  of  his  ap- 
plication. Richard  Watson  was  then  secretary  of 
that  society,  and  his  death,  occurring  during  the 
pendency  of  Mr.  Lee's  application,  so  deranged 
and  impeded  its  business  that  his  application  was 


THE  INSTRUMENTS  CHOSEN. 


not  acted  upon.  But,  suddenly,  another  call,  from 
another  part  of  the  world,  heralded  in  the  manner 
already  recorded,  thrilled  the  heart  of  the  church, 
and  all,  Mr.  Lee  included,  paused  to  listen. 

While  waiting  and  wondering  whereunto  this 
strange  thing  would  grow,  Mr.  Ler  received  a  com- 
munication from  Dr.  Fisk  relative  to  his  undertak- 
ing the  establishment  of  a  mission  among  the  peo- 
ple whose  strange  call  had  thus  awakened  the 
church.  Mr.  Lee,  after  due  consideration,  consent- 
ed to  the  proposition  of  Dr.  Fisk,  provided  he 
could  honorably  detach  himself  from  the  service  of 
the  Wesleyan  Board  to  which  he  had  already  offer- 
ed himself.  In  due  time  all  these  arrangements 
were  satisfactorily  made. 

The  circumstances  under  which  this  appoint- 
ment was  made  were  highly  creditable  to  Mr.  Lee. 
When  he  was  chosen  he  was  not  a  minister,  not 
even  a  member,  of  the  church  whose  herald  beyond 
the  mountains  he  was  to  become,  but  was  connect- 
ed with  the  Wesleyan  Church  of  Canada.  That  he 
had  so  impressed  himself  upon  the  leading  minds 
of  Methodism  in  the  United  States  at  that  time  as 
to  designate  him  as  the  most  suitable  man  to  un- 
dertake so  great  a  work  is  remarkable.  It  must 
be  confessed  the  qualities  requisite  for  such  work 
combine  in  verv  few. 


it' 


-  ( 

.i'l 


w 


52 


MISS  ION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  V. 


n 


I'  ; 


The  distance  of  the  proposed  site  of  the  mission 
from    civiUzation;    the    perilous    way    of   advance 
to  it;    the  hardships  to  be  endured;    all  required  a 
strong,  stalwart   physical  manhood.     The   people 
among  whom  the  mission  was  to  be  founded,  their 
superstitions,  old  paganism,  their  warlike  charac- 
ter, everything  of  them  and  around  them  required 
a  man  of  clear  insight  into  character  and  motives, 
prompt    and    decided,    yet    gentle    and  winning. 
The  great  church  of  which  he  was  to  stand  the 
symbol  and  representative,  required  that  that  rep- 
resentative should  fitly  indicate  her  greatness  and 
type  her  evangehstic  fervor.     And  as  the  plans  of 
future  evangelistic  conquest  were  to  be  laid  on  the 
very  ground  where  these  conquests  were  to  be  won, 
a  clear,  broad  intellect,  with  the  forecast  of  the 
statesman  as  well  as  the  fervor  of  the  evangelist, 
was  a  prime  necessity.       That  such  men  as  Dr. 
Bangs  and  the  Board  of  Bishops  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  comprising  such  men  as  Bishop 
Hedding,  Bishop  Roberts,  Bishop  Soule  and  Bishop 
Emory;    men  of  whom  it  were  no  disparagement, 
living  or  dead,  to  say  that  they  were  the  chief  glory 
of  our  earlier  history,  should  consider  these  high 
endowments  to  be  found  in  a  young  man  of  thirty 
years  of  age  was  itself  enough  to  crown  that  young 
man  with  honor.     The  unanimitv  with  which  the 


wn 


THE  INSTRUMENTS  CHOSEN. 


53 


church  approved  the  choice  thus  made  was  remark- 
able, and  when  Jason  Lee  thus  found  himself  ap- 
pointed to  the  unsought  field,  it  was  with  the  deep 
conviction  everywhere  prevailing  throughout  +'^e 
church  that  the  providential  hour  had  found  th<" 
providential  man. 

The  appointment  of  a  superintendent  for  the 
missions  with  the  full  approval  of  the  mind  of 
the  church  as  expressed  through  the  Missionary 
Board  and  the  Episcopacy,  involved  the  necessity 
for  the  appointment  of  assistants  and  the  adjust- 
men  cf  the  entire  autonomy  of  the  work  contem- 
plated. The  Missionary  Board,  with  the  approba- 
tion of  the  Episcopacy,  resolved  to  appoint  an  ad- 
ditional ministerial  missionary,  and  to  associate 
with  the  mission  two  laymen.  To  the  first  place 
Rev.  Daniel  Lee,  a  nephew  of  the  superintendent, 
was  appointed.  He  had  been  fo  more  than  two 
years  a  traveling  preacher  in  t'  e  New  Hampshire 
Conference,  and  was  an  ordained  deacon  at  the 
time  -^f  his  appointment  to  the  missionary  work. 
Mr.  Jason  Lee,  as  we  have  seen,  was  not,  at  the 
time  of  his  selection  as  superintendent  of  the  mis- 
sions, a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
although  he  was  a  local  preacher  in  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Church  of  Canada.  He  was.  however, 
admitted  into  the  New  England  Conference  at  its 


I 


Mil 


Itili 


'% 


%  \  ; 


54 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


II 


Hi 


\l 


■';    \ 


session  in  1833,  ordained  deacon  and  elder,  and  re- 
ceived from  tlie  bishop  presiding  his  official  desig- 
nation as  "Missionary  to  the  Flathead  Indians." 

"The  King's  business  requires  haste."  After 
the  mission  had  been  resolved  upon,  and  the  mis- 
sionaries selected,  all  were  anxious  if  not  impatient 
for  the  opening  of  its  work.  On  October  loth, 
1833,  the  missionaries  met  in  New  York  for  con- 
ference with  the  Missionary  Board,  and  final  prep- 
arations for  their  work.  The  Board  appropriated 
$3,000  for  the  outfitting  of  the  mission,  and  ar- 
rangements were  made  for  an  early  departure  of  the 
missionaries  for  their  allotted  field.  A  farewell 
missionary  meeting  was  held  in  Forsythe  Street 
Church,  in  New  York,  November  20th,  1833,  at 
which  Bishop  Hedding  presided,  and  Dr.  Bangs, 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Socie- 
ty, Dr.  AIcAuley,  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  and  several 
others  made  addresses.  The  presence  and  ad- 
dresses of  the  newly  appointed  missionaries  excited 
great  interest.  The  people  felt  that  their  venture 
was  bold  beyond  all  precedent,  for  the  region 
where  the  mission  was  to  be  established  was  then 
as  little  known  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  as  the  far- 
ther Indies.  It  was  only  known  that  the  boldness 
and  bravery  of  mammon  had  been  foiled  in  the  field 
to  which  they  were  destined;     and  that  they,  al- 


THE  INSTRUMENTS  CHOSEN. 


55 


most  alone,  should  be  able  to  take  and  hold  that 
land  for  Christ,  when  commercial  enterprise,  with 
powder  and  ball,  had  not  been  able  to  hold  it  for 
gain,  seemed  the  very  hardihood  of  human  resolve. 
The  plan  adopted  by  the  Missionary  Board,  with 
the  sanction  of  Mr.  Lee,  was  for  the  newly  ap- 
pointed missionaries  to  travel  through  the  Atlantic 
cities  as  far  south  as  Washington  for  some  weeks 
and  present  the  missionary  cause  to  the  churches, 
and  then  proceed  westward  to  the  fr^  intiers  of  Mis- 
souri and  be  ready  to  enter  upon  their  great  «ner- 
land  journey  to  the  Rocky  M  n tains  and  beyond 
at  the  opening  of  spring.  It  was  also  desirable 
that  Mr.  Lee  should  confer  with  the  national  au- 
thorities in  Washington  and  secure  the  endorse- 
ment of  the  government  in  his  contemplated  set- 
tlement in  the  Indian  country;  and,  as  he  might 
enter  into  the  region  then  in  dispute  between  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain,  but  which  under 
the  "joint  occupancy"  treaty  between  these  two 
powers,  was  equally  open  to  the  citizens  of  both, 
he  needed  also  the  passport  and  permit  of  the  gov- 
ernment t..  shield  him  from  interference  by  the  sub- 
jects of  Great  Britain  resident  or  trading  there. 
These  plans  were  carried  out  by  Mr.  Lee.  and  with 
the  full  endo-sement  of  the  President  of  the  Unit- 
ed States,  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  the  Secretary 


TF 


Hii^l^ 


56 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


%  i 


of  War,  he  was  prepared  to  go  out,  not,  indeed, 
knowing  entirely  whither  he  went,  for  the  whole 
land  lay  before  him.     The  how  of  the  journey  was 

not  yet  fully  determined. 

In  January,  1834,  it  became  known  to  the  Mis-  , 
sionary  Board  and  to  Mr.  Lee  that  Captain  Na- 
thaniel Wyeth,  of  Boston,  who  had  visited  the  Co- 
lumbia river  the  preceding  year,  would  dispatch  a 
vessel  to  that  river  in  the  spring  and  himself  would 
lead  a  party  overland  to  the  same  point  during  the 
summer.  This  was  a  providential  opportunity. 
The  outfit  designed  for  the  establishment  of  the 
mission  was  forwarded  in  Captain  Wyeth's  brig — 
the  Maydacre — and  it  was  determined  that  Mr. 
Lee  and  his  company  should  accompany  the  over- 
land expedition  in  the  spring.  Captain  Wyeth, 
who  had  visited  the  Columbia  river,  and  seen  the 
tribes  between  it  and  the  Missouri  the  year  before, 
gave  such  information  of  the  field  to  be  occupied 
and  of  the  Indians  residiuj^^  in  it  as  greatly  to  en- 
hance the  public  interest  in  the  mission  itself. 

Mr.  Cyrus  Shepard,  of  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  a 
teacher  of  excellent  qualifications,  and  a  gentleman 
and  Christian  of  the  highest  character,  was  selected 
by  Mr.  Lee  as  one  of  the  laymen  to  be  associated 
with  him  in  the  work  of  the  mission,  and  his  choice 


THE  INSTRUMENTS  CHOSEN. 


57 


was  most  cordially  approved  by   the   Missionary 
Board. 

These  preliminaries  settled,  early  in  March  Mr. 
Lee  left  New  York  for  the  west.  On  his  route 
westward  his  addresses  awakened  great  interest  in 
his  mission,  especially  in  Pittsburg  and  St.  Louis, 
where  he  remained  longer  than  at  other  points. 
From  St.  Louis  he  proceeded  on  horseback,  accom- 
panied by  his  nephew.  Daniel  Lee,  to  the  western 
frontier  of  the  State.  On  reaching  the  frontier 
Mr.  Lee  engaged  Mr.  P.  L.  Edwards,  of  Indepen- 
dence. Missouri,  a  young  gentleman  of  good  abili- 
ty and  character,  for  service  as  teacher  in  the  Mis- 
sion, and  a  Mr.  Walker  for  other  labors,  for  a  year. 


11 


IV. 


ON  THE  TRAIL. 


li! 

mi 


"  We  are  journeying  to  a  land  of  which  the  Lord 
hath  said  I  will  give  it  Thee." 

—Moses. 

IN  the  spring  of  1834  the  now  flourishing  town  of 
Independence,  Missouri,  was  only  a  small  ham- 
let on  the  remotest  western  verge  of  civilization. 
It  was  known  chiefly  as  the  point  from  whence  the 
half-nomadic  troopers  and  voyageurs  over  the 
plains  and  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  took  their  de- 
parture for  a  life  of  wild  adventure,  of  fierce  conflict 
with  savage  men  and  savage  nature  and  savage 
beasts;  and  perchance,  for  an  unmarked  and  un- 
historied  grave  in  the  deep,  wild  defiles  of  the  dis- 
tant mountains.  To  pass  that  limit,  in  most  cases, 
was  to  die,  if  not  in  the  literal,  yet  in  the  deeper, 
sadder  sense  of  a  life  bereaved  forever  of  home  and 
friends  and  all  that  makes  life  worth  the  living. 

The  thought  that  any  impulse  other  than  one  of 
sordid  gain  could  ever  tempt  a  human  foot  adven- 
turously to  cross  the  line  beyond  which  all  was 
darkness,  would  have  startled,  if  it  could  have  en- 
tered into  the  minds  of  the  bold  leaders  of  travel 
and  trade  along  the  dim  trails  of  these  far  western 


ON  THE  TRAIL. 


59 


wilds.  When,  therefore,  in  the  early  spring,  when 
the  new  life  of  the  year  was  bursting 
out  of  field  and  fen  in  promise  for  its 
autumn  garners,  Jason  Lee  suddenly  appear- 
ed amidst  the  wild  troop  just  preparing 
for  the  western  march,  it  was  as  though  a  being 
from  an  unknown  world  had  stepped  out  of  his  un- 
seen realm  full  in  their  vision.  When,  for  the  first 
time,  his  tent  was  pitched  among  the  lodges  of 
their  wild  camp,  on  the  night  of  the  28th  of  April, 
1834,  and  the  sweet  song  of  praise  and  low  voice  of 
prayer  trembled  through  the  twilight  stillness  as 
hushed  music  from  an  unseen  minstrel,  in  many 
minds  a  new  thought  was  shaped,  into  some  hearts 
a  new  life  was  projected.  To  him,  also,  it  could 
not  but  be  an  era  hour.  The  time  of  preparation, 
of  consideration  and  decision,  was  now  past.  Hon- 
orably for  himself  or  innocently  before  God,  he 
could  not  now  look  back.  He  was  now  as  never 
before  the  embodiment  and  representative  of  the 
Church  in  half  a  continent.  The  bark  that  bore 
Cassar  and  his  fortunes  bore  not  half  so  momen- 
tous a  burden  as  the  beast  that  bore  Jason  Lee 
and  his  mission  toward  and  over  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, Something  of  this  feeling  impressed  him, 
as,  with  the  two  elected  companions  of  his  travel 
and  toil,  he  bowed  in  his  lowly  tent  to  pray  for  wis- 


'\\) 


IM 


I  \\'\ 


\\\  ■■  •  i 


6o 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


dom  and  strength  and  guidance  as  "he  went  out 
not  knowing  whither  he  went."  His  journal  gives 
evidence  of  this  condition  of  feehng  for  the  days 
of  the  preparation,  and  the  quietude  of  his  trust  as 
he  records  his  "thankfuhiess  that  he  is  now  on  his 
way  to  the  farthest  west." 

At  that  date,  now  sixty-five  years  ago,  the  prep- 
arations for  a  journey  across  the  continent  were 
exceedingly  primitive.  Horses  or  mules  to  ride 
and  pack;  with  a  few,  and  a  very  few,  conveniences 
and  comforts  for  the  tent  or  lodge;  guns  and  am- 
munition for  defence  and  to  procure  game  for  food, 
were  the  outfit.  For  the  rest,  the  day  must  find 
its  own.  To  this  rule  there  was  no  exception. 
Missionary  and  voyageur  were  alike.  Mr.  Lee,  ac- 
cording to  his  exjjectations,  had  joined  his  com- 
pany with  that  of  Capt.  Xathaniel  Wythe,  and,  be- 
sides, they  would  travel  in  close  proximity  to  Capt. 
W'm.  Sublette,  the  most  renowned  and  the  ablest 
of  all  the  rangers  of  the  mountains  from  1826  to 
1836.  Thus  companioned,  on  the  last  day  of 
April,  "the  train"  began  to  wind  its  way  over  the 
rolling  prairie  hills  that  lie  .south  of  the  Kan.sas — 
then  known  as  the  Kaw  river,  passing  near  the 
Shawnee  Indian  Mission,  then,  and  after  for  many 
years,  under  the  superintendence  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Johnson;  where  Mr.  Lee  made  such  observations 


iii 


ON  THE   TRAIL. 


61 


as  his  time  would  allow,  the  better  to  prepare  him- 
self for  his  own  future  work. 

There  would  be  much  interest  in  following  Mr. 
Lee  daily  as  his  journal  records  his  journey,  but  we 
judge  it  better  to  reserve  the  space  that  would  thus 
be  occupied  by  details  of  travel  for  more  important 
matters.  A  few  quotations  from  his  journal  at 
some  of  the  interesting  points  of  his  journey,  and  in 
its  more  eventful  incidents,  will  only  be  given. 
These  will  give  the  reader  a  clear  general  impres- 
sion of  what  it  all  was,  as  well  as  a  true  insight  into 
the  hardships  and  struggles  of  such  a  journey. 

The  company  of  Mr.  Wythe  numbered  not  far 
from  two  hundred  men.  Outside  of  civilization 
they  were  a  law  unto  themselves.  For  them  the 
civil  anti  had  no  terrors.  The  very  decalogue 
seemed  to  be  abrogated.  Brave,  in  the  sense  of 
reckless  physical  hardihood;  generous,  in  the  sense 
of  improvident  wastefulness,  they  surely  were. 
"Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die."  was 
the  motto  which  summed  the  whole  philosophy  of 
their  life.  Of  course  between  them  and  a  man 
of  high  Christian  feeling,  whose  soul  was  bearing 
the  burden  of  a  divine  mission,  there  could  be  little 
of  affinity.  Alike  they  were  men  in  outward  form 
only.  To  be  under  the  necessity  of  a  close  com- 
panionship with  such  a  multitude  for  five  months 


A  .1 


6a 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


of  tiresome  travel,  was  not  the  least  hardship  of  his 

journey.    An  extract  from  his  journal,  under  date 

of  Sunday,  May  ii,  1834,  will  show  something  of 

this  trial.     They  had  encamped  the  night  preceed- 

ing  on  the  Big  Vermilion,  in  the  present  State  of 

Kansas.     He  says: 

"Decamped  early  this  morning,  but  losing  the 
trail,  came  to  a  stop  about  ten  o'clock.  The  day 
has  been  spent  in  a  manner  not  at  all  congenial 
with  my  wishes.  Traveling,  laboring  to  take  care 
of  the  animals  by  all,  cursing,  swearing  and  shoot- 
ing by  the  company.  Read  some  of  the  Psalms 
and  felt  that  truly  my  feelings  accorded  with  Da- 
vid's, when  he  so  much  longed  for  the  house  of 
God.  I  have  found  very  little  time  for  reading, 
writing  or  meditation  since  leaving  Liberty,  for  I 
am  so  constantly  engaged  in  driving  stock,  en- 
camping and  making  preparations  for  the  night, 
and  decamping  in  the  morning.  But  still  we  find  a 
few  minutes  to  call  our  little  family  together  and 
commend  ourselves  and  our  cause  in  prayer  to 
God." 

Some  of  the  perils  of  the  way  soon  began  to  be 
manifest.  The  whole  country  from  the  Missouri 
River  westward  was  destitute  of  roads;  Indian 
trails  only  marking  the  plains.  These  more  fre- 
quently led  in  wrong  than  in  right  directions. 
Otherwise  courses  must  be  taken  by  compass  or 
by  the  traveler's  .knowledge  of  the  nattiral  land- 
marks of  the  country.  When  the  first  was  absent 
and  the  second  wanting,  the  traveler  was  almost 


14.  ■:".:ag 


ON  THE  TRAIL. 


4s 


certain  to  be  lost  in  the  wilderness  of  hills;  happy 
if  he  found  his  way  back  to  camp,  or  if  the  arrow  of 
some  treacherous  Pawnee  did  not  pierce  his  side. 
The  day  after  the  record  above  such  an  incident  of 
peril  occurred  to  Mr.  Lee,  with  one  companion, 
Mr.  Cyrus  Shepard.  They  had  left  camp  early  in 
the  morning  in  pursuit  of  a  stray  animal,  and  in  at- 
tempting to  return  were  led  far  astray  in  a  country 
where  a  small  party  was  sure  to  be  robbed  if  not 
murdered,  if  discovered  by  a  stronger  one  of  In- 
dians. A  good  providence,  however,  did  not  for- 
sake them,  and  just  before  nightfall  they  were  first 
alarmed  by  the  appearance  of  a  number  of  horse- 
men sweeping  down  upon  them  from  a  distant  em- 
inence, though  greatly  relieved  to  find  they  were 
of  their  own  company  and  able  to  guide  them 
safely  to  camp. 

From  this  point  the  route  took  the  company 
northwest  across  Blue  River,  then  over  a  wide 
stretch  of  rolling  prairie  to  and  up  the  Republican 
Fork  of  the  Kansas,  thence  over  a  still  more  bro- 
ken and  sandy  country  to  the  Platte  River,  which 
they  reached  a  little  below  Grand  Island.  In  this 
vicinity  the  first  buffalo  were  seen,  and  from 
henceforth  the  meat  of  these  animals  was  the  al- 
most exclusive  food  of  the  entire  party  for  many 
weeks.   The  missionaries  did  their  part  of  the  hunt- 


m 


ifei 


l! 


It 


\i'4i 


|l 


64 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


ing,  and  shared  in  messes  alike  with  the  traders 
and  trappers.     Until  far  up   towards   the  moun- 
tains, packing  and  unpacking,  camping  and   de- 
camping, hunting  huffalo  and  cooking  ?nd  eating 
their  meat,  with  occasional  visits  from  some  strag- 
gling bands  of  Indians,  were  the  incidents  of  all 
the  days.     At  night  camp  was  to  be  guarded,  sen- 
tinels paced  their  vigils,  every  man  slept  with  his 
arms  within  reach  prepared  for  an  attack  from  the 
Indians,  of  which  they  were  in  constant  danger. 
It  was  a  vigilant,  wearisome  life;     not.  however, 
without  its  compensations  to  the  missionaries,  as 
a  preparation  for  the  self-reliant  toil  of  the  future. 
They  were  the  stronger  physically,  perhaps  morally 
too.  for  the  strained  and  tensioned  thought  and 
action  of  these  days  oi"  danger  and  toil.     In  after 
years  the  same  experiences,  with  varying  incidents, 
])rei)are(l  an  hundred  thousand  men  and  w'omen  to 
found  the  most  vigorous  commonwealths  of  all  his- 
tory on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 

The  scenery  of  the  route  along  the  middle  Platte 
is  very  fine.  The  ;;oft  marl  hills  have  been  washed 
and  worn  by  the  winds  and  rain,  and  chipped  and 
cleft  by  the  frosts  of  ages  until  they  stand  in  every 
fantastic  and  beautiful  form.  Castles  are  imaged 
in  hills  as  though  chiseled  by  sculptors.  The  swell- 
ing dome,  the  tall  spire,  the  deep  and  long  corri- 


wummi 


ON  THE  TRAIL. 


^5 


dors,  all  carry  the  niiiul  back  to  days  of  departed 
chivalry,  and  one  half  expects  to  see  mailed  and  ar- 
mored cavaliers  emerging-  from  the  car^^le  gates  to 
engage  in  tilts  and  tournaments  for  ine  smiles  or 
hand  of  some  noble  lady  on  the  plain  beyc  nd.  To 
some  of  these  castled  cliffs  local  names,  or  names 
having  their  origin  in  some  wild  adventure  or  thrill- 
ing romance  are  attached.  Such  are  "Scott's 
Bluff's."  Of  the  origin  of  this  name  Mr.  Lee,  un- 
der date  of  May  30,  1834,  gives  the  following  ac- 
count, received  from  the  old  companions  of  Scott, 
when  encamped  near  them.  Mr.  Scott  was  the 
superintendent  of  Gen.  Ashley's  fur  company  in 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  exposures,  excitements 
and  nervous  strain  of  a  life  in  the  mountains 
proved  too  severe  for  his  constitution,  and  at 
length  he  was  taken  delirious  somewhere  in  the 
Black  Hills,  far  west  of  this  spot.  In  lucid  inter- 
vals his  thoughts  turned  homeward,  and  his  heart 
longed  to  ease  its  fevered  beatings  among  his 
kindred.  This  desire  he  expressed,  and  the  com- 
pany made  {^reparations  to  convey  him  to  his  peo- 
ple. A  boat  of  skins  was  constructed,  and  with 
two  men  he  was  launched  out  on  the  Platte,  and 
drifted  downward,  homeward.  In  rapids  the  frail 
boat  was  upset  and  lost,  and  the  maniac  and  his 
two  companions  were  defenceless  on  the  wild  des- 


lit' 


66 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


ii 


I 


r^ 


ert.  They  wandered  on,  the  wild,  longing  eyes  of 
Scott  ever  strained  in  their  insatiate  searchings  for 
home.  The  two  men  at  length  returned  to  the 
companw  half  famished,  and  reported  Scott  as 
dead.  Afterwards  his  bones  and  blanket  were  dis- 
covered at  the  foot  of  these  bluffs.  Henceforward 
they  were  known  among  all  mountain  men  as 
"Scott's  Bluffs,"  and  the  wild,  thrilling  story  of  his 
life,  remembered  and  rehearsed  whenever  the  voya- 
geur  kindled  his  dim  camp  fire  in  the  shadow  of 
this,  his  grand  and  lasting  monument. 

This  year,  and  while  the  missionaries  were  en- 
camped on  Laramie's  Fork,  Fort  Laiamie  was 
built  by  Captain  Wra.  Sublette.  It  was  on  the 
eastern  border  of  the  trapping  country,  and  was 
intended  for  a  depot  fon-  trade  and  supplies.  While 
writing  of  the  dangers  incurred  by  the  trappers  in 
their  wild  pursuit,  Mr.  Lee  rays:  "Thus  these  men 
incur  more  danger  for  a  few  beaver  skins  than  we 
do  to  save  souls;  and  yet  some  who  call  themselves 
Christians  would  Iiave  persuaded  us  to  abandon 
our  enterprise  because  of  the  danger  attending  it. 
'Tell  it  lot  in  Gath.'  " 

On  the  15th  of  Junne  the  company  reached  the 
summit  ridge  of  the  continent.  From  Fort  Lara- 
mie their  wa^  led  nearly  where  what  afterwards 
was  known  a«  "the  Emigrant  Road.''  was  made. 


11 


ON  THE  TRAIL. 


67 


Then  only  dim,  uncertain  trails  marked  the  earth, 
and  they  so  crossed  and  blinded  by  buffalo  paths 
that  they  were  exceedingly  difficult  to  follow. 
Game  was  becoming  comparatively  scarce,  and  as  a 
consequence  some  of  the  less  provident  of  the  com- 
pany were  without  food  for  two  davs.  It  was  also 
the  most  dangerous  part  of  the  Indian  country,  and 
often  at  night  they  lay  down  to  their  rest  without 
fire  or  supper;  fearing  that  a  light  might  betray 
them  to  some  marauding  band.  After  the  rest  of 
a  supperless  night  Mr.  Lee  records:  "Awoke  just 
at  daylight  after  a  night's  sweet  repose  and  found 
all  safe.  Roasted  buffalo  meat  and  pure  water 
made  our  rich  repast.  Am  persuaded  that  none 
even  in  New  England,  ate  a  more  palatable  meal. 
We  feel  no  want  of  bread,  and  I  am  more  healthy 
than  I  have  been  for  years."  So  soon  does  the 
flexible  human  constitution  adjust  itself  to  its  sur- 
roundings, and  prove  that  hardships  are  seldom 
more  than  names.  To  sleep  on  a  bed  of  down  is  a 
hardship  to  one  whose  life  has  been  cast  in  the 
sturdy  mould  of  a  free,  open  world.  To  such  the 
earth  is  the  sweetest,  softest  bed. 

Almost  imperceptibly  the  company  wound  its 
way  over  a  gentle  ridge,  and  on  the  15th  day  of 
June  were  surprised  to  find  themselves  suddenly  on 
a  rivulet  that  trilled  away  toward  the  west.     The 


Hi 


)  ,. 


f 


68 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


missionary  s  bone  beat  high  as  he  stood  on  that 
summit  and  looked  away  westward  toward  that 
enshrouded  field  which  already  enshrined  his  heari. 
True,  only  by  faith  could  the  darkness  be  penetrat- 
ed, or  any  promise  be  gathered  out  of  its  con- 
cealed depths.  But  faith  then,  as  ever,  was  the 
guide  of  the  workers  in  God's  vineyards.  And 
whether  it  were  for  his  hand  to  hold  the  plow  that 
first  cleft  the  untilled  sod,  and  prepare  it  for  the 
root  of  the  vine,  or  to  do  the  easier  work  of  gath- 
ering the  ripe,  rich  clusters  from  vines  of  others' 
planting,  it  was  all  the  same.  It  was  God's  work, 
hence  his  work,  and  he  was  content.  Content? 
He  was  more;  he  was  hopeful,  joyous,  longing' 
for  his  field  and  his  toil.  When  he  passed  the  crest 
of  the  mountains  he  says:  "It  gives  me  pleasure 
to  reflect  that  we  are  now  descending  towards  the 
vast  Pacific.  With  the  blessing  and  preservation 
of  the  Almighty  we  shall  soon  stand  upon  the 
shores  that  have  resisted  the  proud  swelling  waves 
of  the  ocean  from  time  immemorial.  O,  thou  God 
of  Love,  give  us  still  Thine  aid,  for  without  Thee 
we  can  do  nothing." 

In  the  capitol  at  Washington  there  is  a  fine  alle- 
gorical fresco  which  pictures  the  Pioneers  of  the 
Pacific  States  as  they  reach  the  crests  of  the  Rocky- 
Mountains,  and  under  it  the  motto: — 


ON  THE  TRAIL. 

"The  Spirit  grows  with  its  alloted  space. 
The  mind  is  narrowed  in  a  narrow  sphere." 


69 


In  this  fresco  Jason  Lee  might  well  appear  as 
its  most  regnant  and  impressive  figure,  as  the 
first  of  the  real  Pioneers  of  the  Pacific  to  enter  the 
wider  sphere  of  the  vast  west  and  occupy  it  for  civ- 
ilization and  Christianity. 

Here  they  were  not  without  incidents  of  a  novel 
and  exciting  character.  Two  hunters  were  lost  in 
the  mountams  for  days.  The  whole  company  wan- 
dered over  the  dreary  desert  plains  between  the 
summit  ridge  ancf  Green  River,  until  their  animals 
were  nearly  famished  for  forage,  and  themselves 
for  food.     The  occasion  was  this: 

Annually  all  the  companies  and  free  trappers  of 
the  mountains  gathered  at  some  place,  in  midsum- 
mer, for  trade  and  recreation.  The  place  selected 
was  called  "Rendezvous."  From  the  Colorado  of 
the  South  to  the  Red  River  of  the  North  they 
came,  the  leaders  for  counsel  and  to  mature  plans 
for  the  future,  and  the  men  to  purchase  outfits  for 
another  fall  and  winter's  hunt,  or.  what  seemed 
more  imperative  to  a  trapper's  nature,  a  month's 
carousal  in  the  utter  abandon  of  drunkenness  and 
lust.  Not  knowing  where  the  rendezvous  was  to 
be  this  year,  the  company  was  wandering  in  search 
of  it.     After  manv  davs  search  it  was  found  at  last 


^fpl 

' 

1  rr 

1 

i    li 

'    1 

!    i 

I    1 

■li*^ 

!■  -V 


BBSiK 


7.0 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


it    I 


!  P 


on  Ham's  Fork,  a  stream  that  rises  in  the  high 
mountains  dividing  the  waters  flowing  to  the  Paci- 
fic through  the  Gulf  of  Cahfomia,  and  those  losing 
themselves  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 

Into  this  fierce,  swaying  throng  of  several  hun- 
dred men,  wild  with  the  untamed  passions  of  the 
human  heart,  uncontrolled  by  any  law  but  appe- 
tite, cultured  to  a  desperate  recklessness  by  the 
perils  of  Indian  warfare,  and  rendered  the  bolder 
in  their  vice  by  the  rivalry  of  their  savage  compan- 
ionship, the  company  emerged  from  its  thousand 
miles  of  lonely  travel  at  noon  of  the  twentieth  day 
of  June.     Threats  of  violence  to  the  missionaries 
had  been  freely  uttered.     Capt.  Wythe  communi- 
cated these  threats  to  Mr.  Lee,  with  the  advice  to 
be  on  his  guard  and  give  no  occasion  of  difificulty, 
but  if  any  did  occur  to  show  no  symptoms  of  fear. 
For  this  advice  ]\Ir.  Lee  expressed  his  obligation, 
but  informed  the  Captain  that  he  feared  no  man, 
and  had  no  apprehension  of  any  difficulty  with  or 
annoyance  from  any.     He  went  immediately,   in 
the  calm,  unassumed  stlf-possession  of  one  who  is 
too  brave  either  to  do  or  submit  to  a  wrong,  to  the 
lodges  of  the  leaders,  sought  an  introduction  to 
those  who  had  threatened  him  and  his  company, 
conversed   with    them    about    the    perils   of    their 
mountain  life,  and  after  a  few  hours  association 


m 


ggn-m 


ON  THE  TRAIL. 


n 


with  them  returned  to  his  own  camp,  having  so 
av/akened  their  respect  that  all  were  ready  to  serve 
him  or  his  cause  in  any  way  in  their  power. 

His  splendid  physical  proportions  elicited  the 
admiration  and  respect  of  those  who  estimated 
men  by  their  pounds  avoirdupoise,  and  his  calm 
and  fearless  bearing  impressed  those  who  had  yet 
some  lingering  recollection  that  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  moral  and  mental  manhood  with  his  supe- 
riority over  them. 

Mr.  Townshend,  a  scientific  gentleman  traveling 

with  the  expedition,  says  of  Mr.  Lee  in  his  own 

journal: — 

"Mr.  Lee  is  a  great  favorite  with  the  men,  de- 
servedly so,  and  there  are  probably  few  persons  to 
whose  preaching  they  would  have  listened  with  so 
much  complaisance.  I  have  often  been  amused 
and  pleased  by  Mr.  Lee's  manner  of  reproving 
them  for  the  coarseness  and  profanity  of  expres- 
sion among  them.  The  reproof,  though  decided, 
clear  and  strong,  is  always  characterized  by  the 
mildness  and  alTectionate  manner  peculiar  to  the 
man,  and  although  the  good  effect  of  the  advice 
may  not  be  discernable,  yet  it  is  always  treated 
with  respect,  and  its  utility  acknowledged." 

An  incident  occurred  here,  which,  to  Mr.  Lee, 

augured  hopefully  for  his  mission.     A  company  of 

Nez  Perce  Indians  from  the  Columbia  River,  under 

the  lead  of  a  young  chief,  Tsh-hol-hol-hoats-hoats. 

long  and  universally  known  and  respected  among 


!.  !  il 

.  i 

■  ! 


:k1| 


I  i 


1 

'1 

i 

1 

I'J 

III 


72 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY, 


the  people  of  the  Cohimbia  Valley  as  "Lawyer," 
being  informed  of  the  object  of  his  visit  to  the 
country,  waited  upon  him  in  a  body,  greeted  him 
cordially  by  shaking  of  hands,  and  by  signs  made 
him  understand  that  he  would  be  gladly  welcomed 
in  their  country  as  a  teacher  of  religion. 

The  missionaries  remained  at  Rendezvous  until 
the  2d  day  of  July,  when  they  again  began  their 
westward  march.  All  the  Indians  bade  them  fare- 
well with  the  utmost  cordiality.  The  Flatheads 
from  the  north  and  the  Nez  Perces  from  the  west 
each  expressed  a  desire  for  the  location  of  his  mis- 
sion among  their  people. 

Mr.  Lee  was  much  affected  by  this  parting  scene. 
It  fanned  the  missionary  fire  already  kindled  in  his 
heart,  and  lifted  him  above  any  weak  regrets  for 
past  sacrifices  or  abandoned  joys.  He  was  clearly 
in  the  way  of  Providence,  and  never  turned  a  long- 
ing eye  to  any  other  path. 

Quickly  the  company  moved  out  of  the  noise 
and  confusion  of  rendezvous,  and  was  soon  w^ind- 
ing  through  the  defiles  of  Bear  River  Mountains. 
On  the  fifth  of  July  they  emerged  upon  the  grassy 
meadows  of  that  stream,  having  already  left  far 
behind  them  the  dark  forests  and  glittering  glaciers 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  sight  of  which  they 
had  been  traveling  so  long. 


ii«<a>>^«^>' 


ON  THE   TRAIL. 


73 


The  piney  crests  of  distant  mountains  darkening 
l.ehind  the  bold  and  rocky  foothills,  the  meadow- 
vales  whose  green  is  beautifully  interlaced  with  the 
silver  threads  of  meandering  rivulets,  all  covered 
and  canopied  with  a  sky  whose  cerulean  is  seldom 
dimmed  by  cloud  or  mist,  was  the  charming  picture 
through  whose  golden  paths  they  traveled;  think- 
ing meanwhile,  of  Heber's  poetic  limning  of  a  like, 
though  far  Orient  scene: — 

"Where  every  prospect  pleases,  and  only  man  is  vile." 

It  requires  no  vivid  fancy  to  believe  that  the 
deeper  his  paths  penetrated  this  world  before  un- 
trodden by  any  of  Christ's  annointed  heralds  the 
more  he  felt  the  burden  and  the  honor  Christ  and 
his  Church  had  laid  on  him  in  making  him  the  first 
to  bear  the  standard  of  Calvary  through  these  dark 
skies  to  its  perpetual  planting  on  the  shores  of  the 
western  ocean.  Our  pen  kindles  with  the  enthusi- 
asm of  eulogy,  but  we  restrain  it  to  the  sober  trac- 
ings of  history. 

On  the  tenth  day  of  July  they  passed  over  the 
western  rim  of  the  Great  Basin,  and  for  the  first 
time  encanii)ed  on  waters  that  reached  the  Pacific 
through  the  channel  of  the  Columbia.  Three  days 
after  they  reached  Snake  River  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Portneuf,  and  for  a  few  days  rested  their  jour- 
neyings  while  Capt.  Wythe  began  the  erection  of 


ii^iii 


74 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


\ 


li 


a  trading  post  at  that  point  which  he  called  Fort 
Hall.  Here  it  became  necessary  to  remain  suffi- 
ciently long  to  procure  and  prepare  provisions 
sufficiently  to  last  the  entire  company  for  a  journey 
of  six  or  seven  hundred  miles.  Westward  the 
country  afforded  few  spoils  for  the  rifle,  hence  little 
food  for  the  traveler.  For  two  weeks  they  remain- 
ed, the  hunters  gathering  meat;  Mr.  Lee  fevered 
and  restless  with  longings  to  be  gone.  His  anxie- 
ty preyed  upon  his  health,  and  for  the  first  time  hi 
the  journey  he  speaks  of  being  sick.  Kis  comfort, 
as  he  lay  there  in  his  tent,  alone  in  his  pain,  was 
from  the  Bible  and  Mrs.  Judson's  Memoirs.  He 
was  so  far  recovered  by  Sunday,  July  27th,  that  he 
was  able  to  improve  the  first  opportunity  he  had 
had  to  preach  since  leaving  the  frontiers  of  civili- 
zation. As  this  was  the  first  sermon  ever  preached 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  it  has  great  historic 
interest.  Mr.  Lee's  own  simple  and  unadorned  ac- 
count of  it,  as  I  find  it  in  his  journal,  will  fix  the 
scene  and  some  of  its  surroundings  in  the  mind. 
Under  date  of  Sunday,  July  27,  1834,  he  writes: — 

"Repaired  to  the  grove  about  half  past  three  for 
public  worship,  which  is  the  first  we  have  had  since 
we  started.  Ey  request  of  Captain  McKay,  a  re- 
spectable number  of  our  company,  and  nearly  all 
of  his,  consisting  of  Indians,  half-breeds,  French- 
men, &c..  few  of  whom  could  understand  the  ser- 


ON  THE  TRIAL. 


75 


vices,  had  gathered;  and  all  were  extremely  at- 
tentive. I  gave  a  short  discourse  from  ist  Cor.,  x: 
21,  "Whether,  therefore,  ye  eat  or  drink,  or  what- 
soever ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."  O  that  I 
could  address  the  Indians  in  their  own  language!" 

Scarcely  were  these  scenes  over  when  a  tragic 
incident  occured  throwing  a  short-lived  solemnity 
over  the  entire  camp.    Two  of  Capt.  McKay's  men 
engaged  in  a  horse  race,  and  when  in  full  speed  an- 
other horseman  ran  in  before  them,  and  the  three 
rushed  together  in  a  fearful  collision.    One  was  kill- 
ed, and  at  twelve  o'clock  on  Monday  Mr.  Lee  per- 
formed his  burial  services,  reading  a  Psalm  and  the 
Order  for  the  Burial  of  the  Dead.     His  journal 
says:    "All  the  men  from  both  camps  attended  the 
funeral,  and  appeared  very  solemn.     The  Cana- 
dians put  a  cross  upon  his  breast  and  a  cross  was 
erected  at  his  grave."     Thus,  in  this  desert,  then  so 
covered  with   loneliness   and  solitude,  death  was 
claiming  his  own;  and  thus,  too.  the  gospel  lifted 
up  in  this  darkness  the  light  of  life  and  immortali- 
ty.    It  were  an  apostolic  distinction  for  any  one 
to  be  permitted  to  flash  the  first  rays  of  that  light 
into  the  night  that  never  till  then  had  been  broken 
by  promise  of  a  morning.     That  distinction  forever 
honors  the  name  of  Jason  Lee. 

The  company  was  just  entering  on  the  most  try- 
ing part  of  the  journey.     Westward  stretched  the 


I     I  ■ 


76 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


!    1 
1    ■ 


& 


!i    I.I 


I 


gray  sage  deserts  of  Snake  River  almost  to  the 
foothills  of  the  Blue  Mountains.  The  river  itself 
is  often  locked  in  deep  rents  in  the  black  basalt,  or 
if  flowing  through  the  dry  plain  seems  powerless 
to  add  even  a  green  leaf  to  the  cheerless  desolation. 
Few  of  human  kind  ever  dwelt  there,  and  those 
few  the  most  degraded  that  wear  the  human  form, 
In  leaving  this  place  and  pursuing  the  westward 
journey  it  became  necessary  to  change  their  com- 
panionship, and  the  missionaries  associated  them- 
selves with  the  company  of  Mr.  T.  McKay.  A  pleas- 
ing incident,  also,  here  occurred,  which  is  noted  by 
Mr.  Lee,  with  especial  satisfaction.  With  Mr.  Mc- 
Kay were  Indians  from  the  Columbia.  When  they 
learned  who  the  missionaries  were,  and  what  was 
their  purpose  in  the  country,  they  came  voluntarily 
and  presented  him  with  two  fine  horses,  express- 
ing much  gratification  that  there  was  a  prospect  of 
his  stopping  permanently  in  their  country. 

On  the  third  day  of  August  they  were  prepared 
to  leave  Fort  Hall  and  move  forward.  It  was  Sab- 
bath. Instead  of  the  sanctuaries  of  home,  with 
their  songs  and  blessings,  their  sanctuary  was  a 
wide,  open  world,  and  their  worship  the  unuttered 
outflow  of  love  and  gratitude  to  God,  while  wearily 
winding  their  way  through  the  basaltic  gorges  that 
rend  the  plain  south  of  Snake  River.     Was  such 


ON  THE  TRAIL. 


n 


worship  less  acceptable?  And  was  the  calm  serenity 
following  less  an  answer  to  the  prayers  which  there 
ascended  unspoken  to  God? 

So  sterile  was  the  land  through  which  they  trav- 
eled in  all  that  could  support  life,  that  the  company 
was  compelled  to  deflect  southward  into  what  is 
known  as  the  Goose  Creek  Mountains,  dividing 
Salt  Lake  Valley  from  that  of  Snake  River,  in 
search  of  game.  For  some  days  the  whol  com- 
pany ranged  the  mountains  without  success,  and 
the  missionaries  were  dependent  on  the  gcnerosit\- 
,  of  Capt.  McKay  and  his  Indians  for  food,  which 
"the  Indian  women  would  bring  and  putting  ii 
down  return  without  saying  a  word,  as  they  can 
speak  no  language  that  we  understood.  Mr.  Lee 
says: — 

"My  ardent  soul  longs  to  be  sounding  salvation 
in  the  ears  of  these  red  men.  I  trust  I  shall  yet 
see  many  of  them  rejoicing  in  hope  of  the  glory  of 
God.  Lord  hasten  the  hour,  and  thou  shalt  have 
all  the  praise." 

After  a  weary  and  fruitless  search  for  game,  the 
party  reached  Snake  River  again  a  few  miles  above 
"Salmon  Falls,"  where  they  were  al)le  to  obtain 
salmon  for  food. 

On  the  dreary  desert  of  SnakeRiver  occurred  the 
anniversary  of  Mr.  Lee's  departure  from  his  native 
home  and  the  associations  of  his  boyhood  for  the 


'!  1  i\ 


78 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


long  and  perilous  journey  yet  far  from  being  end- 
ed. His  reference  to  it  in  liis  journal  shows  how 
deeply  susceptible  was  his  heart  to  the  fine  senti- 
ments of  the  son,  the  brother,  and  the  friend.  He 
says : — 

"I  saw  five  brothers  and  four  sisters,  their  hus- 
bands, their  wives;  nephews,  nieces,  friends  and 
companions  of  my  youth  grouped  together  to  take 
the  parting  hand  with  one  whose  face  they  had  bui 
the  slightest  expectation  of  seeing  again.  The 
parting  hand  was  extended,  it  was  grasped,  tear 
after  tear  in  quick  succession  dropped  from  the  af- 
fected eye,  followed  by  streams  flowing  down  the 
sorrowful  cheek.  I  turned  my  back  upon  the, 
group  and  hurried  me  away,  and  for  w'hat?  For 
riches?  honor?  power?  fame?  O,  thou  searcher 
of  hearts,  thou  knowest.  A  year  has  passec',  and  1 
have  not  yet  reached  the  field  of  my  labors.  O, 
how  I  long  to  erect  the  standard  of  my  Master  in 
these  regions,  which  Satan  lias  so  long  claimed  for 
his  own." 

Another  week  of  travel,  when  each  day  repeated 
the  preceeding  and  every  other,  brought  the  party 
where  they  began  to  enter  the  outlying  spurs  of 
the  Blue  Mountains.  Another  week  placed  them 
on  the  westward  summits  of  this  range,  and  over- 
looking the  valley  of  the  Walla  Walla,  which  he 
had  been  looking  forward  to  as  a  possible  location 
for  his  missionary  station.  The  valleys  of  Powder 
River  and  Grand  Ronde,  through  which  this  part 
of  the  journey  led,  now  the  peaceful  homes  of  a 


ON  THE    TRAIL. 


79 


thriving  rural  population,  were  then  only  the  oc- 
casional resort  of  the  Indian  tribes  whose  perma- 
nent home  lay  westward  of  the  mountain  ranges. 
Beautiful  they  were,  even  then,  lying  in  the  yellow 
sunshine  of  a  summer  day,  like  a  golden  jewel  in 
the  evergreen  setting  of  the  mountains.  The  most 
sanguine  outlook  over  the  coming  years  could 
scarcely  nave  revealed  to  the  eye  of  this  pioneer 
missionary  the  fact  that  within  one  generation 
these  valleys  would  have  been  comprised  in  a  Pre- 
siding Elder's  district  and  in  charge  of  the  man  des- 
tined to  write  the  history  of  his  own  life  and  work. 
So  rapidly  does  time  wheel  its  revolutions;  does 
providence  work  its  marvelous  changes. 

On  the  first  day  of  September  the  company 
emerged  from  the  Blue  Mountains,  and  before 
night  of  the  next  day  had  passed  over  the  sixty 
miles  of  valley  l)etween  their  point  of  egress  and 
Fort  Walla  Walla  and  the  Columbia  River. 

Here  the  question  of  the  ultimate  location  of  his 
mission  began  to  assume  practical  form.  Should 
it  be  seaward  or  among  the  powerful  tribes  of  the 
interior?  His  observations  were  evidently  careful 
and  his  preliminary  decisions  sagacious.  He  was 
yet  more  than  three  hundred  miles  from  the  sea, 
yet  he  was  where  centered  the  trade  and  travel  of 
the  interior,  and  surrounded  by  a  large  Indian  pop- 


l:m 


So 


AflSSIONAR }'  HISTOR  Y. 


Illation.  He  saw  that  for  an  interior  work  this 
was  the  favored  spot.  His  views  ni  this  regard  were 
afterward  those  of  the  far-seeing  Whitman,  for  it 
was  near  this  place  that  he  established  his  mission, 
and  where  his  murder  by  the  very  Indians  for  whom 
he  toiled  made  Waiiletpu  forever  historic  in  the  an- 
nals of  heroic  and  tragic  fame. 

Coming  to  no  definite  conclusion,  but  carefully 
noting  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  the 
place  for  his  work,  he  prepared  to  move  forward, 
and,  after  having  disposed  of  his  animals,  the  com- 
pany took  passage  on  the  barges  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  and  on  tlie  fourth  of  September, 
launched  out  on  the  crystal  bosom  of  the  broad  Co- 
liunbia  for  a  novel  and  exciting  voyage  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  to  Fort  Vancouver,  the  head- 
quarters of  the  company  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. This  voyage  at  that  day  and  thus,  was  at- 
tended with  no  little  fatigue  and  danger.  The 
river,  thougli  broad  and  grand,  is  in  many  places  a 
rusliing.  roaring  rapid.  These  were  all  run  in  safe- 
ty until  the  "Great  Dalles"  were  reached,  where  a 
])ortage  was  made.  Here  the  ri\'er  for  iifteen 
miles,  is  a  succession  of  magnificent  rapids,  low  cat- 
aracts and  narrow,  sinuous  channels.  About  mid- 
way the  entire  Columbia — and  it  is  one  of  the 
mightest  rivers  of  the  globe — is  crowded  over  to 


mmmmmmi'm^ 


it, I 


ON  THh  TRAIL. 


8j 


r 


the  southern  shore  throng''  a  passage  not  more 
than  fifty  yards  in  width,  between  perfectly  naked 
and  perpendicular  walls  of  basalt.  Just  beyond,  in 
olive  and  green,  smoothly  and  resistless  is  glidini^ 
the  grand  flow  a  mile  in  width,  then  plunging  over 
a  rugged  wall  of  trap  blocks  reaching  from  shore 
to  shore.  Higher  up  the  stream  is  always  fretted 
and  toimented  by  the  obstructions  of  its  bed.  Not 
even  Niagara  has  a  grander  expression  of  power, 
and  only  the  Columbia  can  round  such  lines  of 
grace  as  are  made  by  these  waters,  rasped  to  spray, 
reposing  in  limpid  sheets,  or  shot  up  in  misty  foun- 
tains edged  with  rainbows  as  they  strike  some  ba- 
saltic hexa^i^Dn  rising  in  midstream  to  oppose  their 
flow. 

The  passage  of  these  rapids  when  only  the  ashen 
oar  and  the  human  arm  contended  with  their  fury 
was  always  fearful!}-  perilous,  and  many  a  sad  tale 
of  wreck  and  disaster  rnd  death  lingers  in  the  le- 
gends of  the  old  voyageurs:  a  race  now  long  since 
departed,  only  in  some  lingering  relict  whose  stal- 
wart form  has  defied  the  storms  of  fourscore  win- 
ters, in  later  years  the  emigrant,  after  safely  lead- 
intr  wife  and  familv  over  the  wild  mountains  and 
across  the  dreary  deserts  has  buried  wife  and  chil- 
dren and  his  own  heart  in  these  fearful  and  stormy 
depths. 


* 


82 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


These  perils  safely  passed,  on  the  eighth  day  of 
September,  they  erected  their  tents  where  "Dalles 
City"  is  now  located,  just  where  the  river  sweeps 
out  of  the  dry  and  nigged  interior,  and  enters  the 
timbered  but  still  more  rugged  band  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains.  They  were  detained  four  days  by  the 
characteristic  winds  of  that  locality.  On  the  six- 
teenth they  passed  the  great  Cascades  of  the  Co- 
lumbia in  safety,  and  struck  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the 
ocean  tides.  At  three  o'clock  of  the  17th  the 
prows  of  their  barges  touched  the  gravelly  beach 
at  "Fort  Vancouver,"  and  the  long  wearisome  jour- 
ney to  "The  Oregon"  was  ended.  For  nearly  five 
months  he  had  been  on  his  way  to  these  far  depths 
of  darkness,  ever  panting  with  desire  to  lift  the  lu- 
minous standard  of  the  cross  in  the  dark  heavens  of 
Oregon.  We  who,  later  and  under  more  favorable 
circumstances,  have  traveled  the  same  weary  road, 
can  better  appreciate  the  trials  and  perils  of  the  no- 
ble pioneer  missionary  than  can  those  whose 
knowledge  of  them  has  been  gained  from  the  stor- 
ies of  the  romancer,  or  even  the  delineations  of  the 
historian,  in  the  pleasant  quiet  of  cushioned  and 
cultured  ease. 


^:-r^- 


^w 


;  'I 


V. 

THE  FIELD  CHOSEN 

"Lift  up  your  eyes  aud  look  upon  the  Fields,  for  they 
are  white  already  to  the  Harvest". 

—Jesus. 

THE  long",  trying  journey  of  Mr.  Lee  and  his 
companions  across  the  wilderness  was  end- 
ed, and  they  were  within  the  limits  of  their  appoint- 
ed field  cf  toil.  The  whole  land  was  before  them, 
and  there  was  no  hot  to  divide  its  inheritance  with 
them.  Had  there  been  the  work  would  have  been 
easier  and  the  problem  that  confronted  them  less 
difficult  to  solve.  The  great  question  to  be  de- 
cided was  the  precise  location  of  their  mission. 
Information  was  to  be  obtained  and  explorations 
made  preparatory  to  this  decision.  The  country 
was  so  large  and  the  sources  of  information  so  lim- 
ited that  this  was  no  easy  task.  Yet  time  was 
passing;  winter  would  soon  be  upon  them,  and 
they  felt  the  most  anxious  solicitude  to  enter  upon 
the  real  work  for  which  alone  they  were  in  the 
country  before  it  came.  While  all  felt  this  solici- 
tude, and  most  earnestly  co  ')perated  with  him. 
yet  Mr.  Lee,  as  the  responsible  superintendent  of 
the  work,  felt  the  exigent  pressure  of  the  occasion 
much  more  severely  than  did  his  co-1ahore.-s.     He 


m:i 


84 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


must  decide  at  last,  and  they  were  only  to  help  him 
in  carrying  out  that  decision. 

There  were  no  sources  of  information  but  his 
own  observations,  and  the  voluntary  conmnmica- 
tions  of  the  gentlemen  connected  with  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  of  whom,  for  the  time  being, 
he  and  his  companions  were  guests.  His  plans 
and  purposes  were  so  \ery  different  from  any  con- 
ception of  theirs  as  to  what  the  residence  of  white 
men  among  Indian  tribes  was  for  that  he  felt  little 
dependence  could  be  placed  on  their  judgment  in 
the  premises,  even  conceding  their  kindly  feeling 
towards  his  professed  work — not  altogether  an 
easy  concession.  What  to  them,  and  for  the  pur- 
pose for  which  they  ere  here,  as  trappers  and 
hunters,  might  appear  as  a  desirable  location,  to 
him  and  for  his  purpose  might  be  the  most  undesir- 
able. A  people  among  whom  he  might  hope  to 
plant  a  vigorous  and  permanent  Christian  work;  a 
people  strong  and  virile  enough  to  give  promise  of 
the  endurance  and  ultimate  fruitage  of  the  seed  he 
should  ])lant  in  their  hearts,  was  his  first  want. 
But  this  was  not  all.  Mr.  Lee  had  the  prescience 
of  a  statesman  as  well  as  the  zeal  of  an  apostle. 
He  could  not  but  .see  that  future  national  history 
was  to  date  from  him  and  from  his  work.  Chris- 
tianity, too.  in  him  and  by  him  was  setting  tip  Tm- 


* 


1 

])lt.  .lOUX  McI-rH'CJIILIX. 


m 


wm 


THE  FIELD  CHOSEN. 


m 


manuel's  claim  to  half  a  continent.  And.  while  in 
this  large  sense  he  was  the  voice  of  another  Fore- 
runner proclaiming-  in  the  wilderness  the  coming- 
Lord,  in  a  special  sense  a  great  Church  had  intrust- 
ed to  him  her  work  and  fame  as  the  most  regnant 
evangelic  force  of  Christendom  in  a  region  larger 
than  forty  Palestines,  and  which,  in  him,  she  was 
pre-empting  as  her's  and  her  Lord's.  What  won- 
der, then,  that  a  decision  thus  fraught  with  im- 
measurable consec|uences  appalled  him,  or  that  he 
should  write  in  his  dairy  as  he  contemplated  it: — 

"Could  J  know  the  identical  spot  the  Lord  de- 
signs for  it.  be  it  even  a  thousand  miles  in  the  in- 
terior, it  would  be  a  matter  of  rejoicing.  O,  my 
God,  direct  us  to  the  |)lace  where  we  may  best 
glorify  Thee,  and  be  most  useful  to  these  degraded 
red  men." 

Dr.  McLoughlin,  the  superintendent  of  the  in 
terests  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  resident  at  Vancouver,  express- 
ed great  interest  in  the  question  that  was  so  ab- 
sorl)ing  the  attention  of  Mr.  Lee.  He  was  a  very 
intelligent  and  able  man,  a  giant  both  in  body  and 
mind.  Though  his  opinions  had  great  weigh  i 
with  Mr.  Lee.  they  were  not  decisive.  He  lis- 
tened, meditated,  but,  remembering  that  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin was  the  embodiment  and  representative 
of  a  great  foreign  commercial  corporation  antago- 


:^1 


I- 


■\ 


86 


MISSIONAR  Y  HIS  TOR } ' 


' 


nistic  in  its  very  elenietits  to  all  the  purposes  for 
which  his  work  stood,  he  left  the  decision  to  Prov- 
idence and  further  information  he  personally 
should  secure.  Though  he  was  too  wise  to  give 
those  about  him  any  sign  of  the  ground  of  this  hes- 
itancy, it  is  obvious  from  his  journal  that  he  felt 
from  the  first  that  he  must  not  place  his  mission 
w'  ere  the  direct  and  constant  and  possibly  jealous 
surveilance  of  those  connected  with  this  antagonis- 
tic force  would  be  over  him  and  his  work.  Still  he 
spent  some  days  in  the  examination  of  different  lo- 
cations in  the  neighborhood  of  Vancouver,  but 
could  find  no  place  that,  even  aside  from  its  objec- 
tionable nearness  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  offered  the  pro]ier  advan- 
tages. 

Which  way  should  he  now  turn?  Eastward 
were  the  large  nomadic  tribes  of  the  interior,  in- 
habiting a  beautiful  country  and  enjoying  a  de- 
lightful climate.  Northward  the  tribes  of  Puget 
Sound  were  located,  dwelling  on  the  Cowlitz  and 
Nesqually  plains,  and  girting  all  the  borders  of  that 
inland  sea  with  their  camp-fires.  Southward  were 
the  tribes  of  the  Willamette.  The  latter  were  the 
most  accessible.  Their  home  was  not  far  from  the 
great  Columbia,  the  port  to  which  all  vessels  visit- 
ing the  great  northwest  coast  turned  their  prows. 


THE  FIELD  CHOSEN. 


S? 


It  lay,  also,  south  of  the  Columbia,  and  Mr.  Lee 
was  not  unaware  of  the  facts  of  the  diplomatic  con- 
troversy between  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States  on  the  boundary  question,  and  knew  that  it 
was  not  likely  that  any  diplomatic  stupidity  on  the 
part  erf  the  United  States  would  surrender  the 
•country  south  of  that  river  to  the  English.  There- 
fore, after  mature  deliberation  he  decided  to  ex- 
plore the  Willamette. 

.,The,  governor  and  gentlemen  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  offered  him  every  possible  facility  for 
this  work.  They  provided  him  boats,  boatmen, 
and  provisions  for  his  journey  On  the  19th  of 
September,  1834,  accompanied  by  Daniel  Lee,  he 
left  the  fort  and  dropped  down  the  Columbia  to 
the  vicinity  of  the  brig  May  Dacre,  which  had 
brought  their  missionary  outfit  around  Cape 
Horn,  and  now  lay  anchored  near  the  lower  mouth 
of  the  Willamette.  They  spent  a  few  days  in  this 
vicinity,  examining  some  locations  for  a  mission, 
and  then  proceeded  up  the  Willamette  Riv-er,  the 
wilderness  of  whose  banks  had  never  been  disturb- 
ed by  the  sound  of  an  axe.  The  survey  of  the 
country  was  very  laborious.  Prairies  were  to  be 
crossed,  forests  and  thickets  were  to  be  penetrated, 
rivers  to  be  forded, and  all  to  be  done  under  the  dis- 
advantages which  entire  ignorance  of  the  country 
imposed. 


\'\ 


I  ;.■!•; 


88 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


\\ 


On  the  2211(1  of  September  we  find  them  on 
what  is  one  of  the  most  beantiful  and  productive 
agricuhural  sections  of  Oregon,  near  where  tlie 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  colonized  (|uite  a 
number  of  its  superanuated  servants,  mostly  (Can- 
adian Frenchmen,  and  hence  this  region  was  call- 
ed "French  Prairie."  Their  examination  of  this 
region  was  thorough,  and  yet  Mr.  Lee  could  come 
to  no  dehnate  conclusion,  and  on  the  25th  he  re- 
turned as  far  as  the  Falls  of  the  Willamette,  where 
Oregon  City  now  stands,  and  made  some  examina- 
tions in  that  vicinity.  l)ut  without  decisive  result. 
Returning  to  Vancouver  he  writes:  "After  ma- 
ture deliberation  on  the  subject  of  a  location  for 
our  mission,  and  earnest  prayer  for  divine  guid- 
ance. 1  have  nearly  concluded  to  go  to  the  Willam- 
ette." This  was  on  Saturday.  On  Sabbath  Mr. 
Lee  preached  twice  at  the  Fort  to  a  congregation 
in  which  were  mingled  the  highest  intelligence  auvl 
the  deepest  ignorance.  American.  English, 
Scotch,  French.  Irish.  Japanese.  Kanakas,  [fall- 
breeds  and  Indians  were  intermixed  in  the  motlv 
group.  With  exception  of  the  discourse  of  Mr. 
Lee  at  Fort  Mall. already  mentioned,  these  were  the 
first  gospel  sermons  these  solitudes  ever  heard. 
The  congregation  itself  was  a  type  of  the  gospels 
broadly  human   mission.     The  preacher  was,   for 


UL 


THE  FIELD  CHOSEK. 


Si, 


the  time,  and  before  this  strange  assembly,  the  in- 
carnation of  gospel  message  and  purpose.  The 
scene  had  a  strange  significance — an  uncoinpre- 
hended  import.  It  was  the  introduction  of  a  new 
force;  a  moral  and  spiritual  force;  into  the  elements 
that  had  hitherto  given  mold  and  character  to  Or- 
egon, e\er  since,  to  civilized  knowledge,  tiiere  had 
been  an  ()regon.  The  auditors  little  appreciated 
it.  To  them  it  was  only  an  incident  to  vary  the 
hitherto  unbroken  monotony  of  trade  and  revel,  of 
revel  and  trade,  which  had  swimg  their  wearing 
alternations  until  even  savage  and  sordid  hearts 
resented  them.  Even  the  preacher  could  hardly 
have  augued  the  future  of  which  this  hour  was 
the  morning  star. 

With  the  Sal)bath  all  doubt  and  hesitancy  pass- 
ed from  the  mind  of  Mr.  Lee,  and  on  Monday 
morning  earnest  preparations  were  begun  for  the 
removal  to  the  Willamette.  Again  the  character- 
istic kindness  of  Dr.  McLoughlin  was  manifested 
in  providing  and  manning  a  boat  for  the  journey. 
Mr.  Lee  makes  the  following  entry  in  his  diary, 
which  the  justice  of  history  requires  should  have  a 
prominent  record  on  this  page. 

"After  dinner  embarked  in  one  of  the  Company's 
boats,  kindly  manned  for  us  by  Dr.  McLoughlin, 
who  has  treated  us  with  the  utmost  attention,  po- 


f 


sa 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (:.iT-3) 


y 


A 


/ 


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1.0 


I.I 


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^  m  1 2.2 


fii 


1.4 


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1.6 


Photographic 

Sciences 
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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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<f        m. 


to        ■'?^?s^5: 


t^ 


^ 


r/. 


«^ 


pi 


90 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


liteness  and  liberality.  The  gentlemen  of  the  Fort 
accompanied  us  to  the  boat,  and  most  heartily 
wished  us  great  success  in  our  enterprise." 

In  addition  tO'  other  tokens  of  substantial  kind- 
ness Dr.  McLoughlin  loaned  to  Mr.  Lee  eight  or 
ten  cows,  a  very  valuable,  accession  to  the  comforts 
of  the  lonely  band  when  they  should  become  es- 
tablished in  their  work. 

The  greatness  of  these  acts  of  kindness  will  not 
be  understood  without  considering  that  it  was 
easily  within  the  power  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany to  put  such  impediments  in  the  way  of  Mr. 
Lee  as  would  almost  certainly  render  his  work  a 
failure,  and  even  his  stay  in  the  country  impossible. 
Doubtless  the  devout  reader  will  discover  in  these 
things  evidences  of  a  gracious  supervision  and  di- 
rection, and  adore  the  Great  Disposer  of  hearts 
for  His  intervention,  while  yet  he  pays  a  grateful 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  human  instrument 
of  heaven's  kindly  work. 

In  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  Mr.  Lee  in  re- 
gard to  the  '.ocation  of  the  mission,  which  we  have 
endeavored  faithfully  to  interpret  above,  there  is 
apparent  some  element  of  doubt  as  to  the  true  in- 
tentions of  Dr.  McLoughlin  towards  the  mission, 
also  of  suspicion  of  the  motives  that  induced  that 
gentleman  to  give  the  advice  he  did.     Some  writ- 


THE  FIELD  CHOSEN. 


91 


ers,  in  late  years,  have  ascribed  all  Dr.  McLough- 

lin's  advice  to  sinster  motives.    Nothing,  we  think, 

could  be  more  unjust.     Fidelity  to  the  truth  of 

history  requires  that  we  should  let  Dr.  McLough- 

lin  speak  for  himself.    Those  who  were  acquainted 

with  him  personally,  as  well  as  those  who,  without 

prejudice,  have  studied  his  character  historically, 

must  know  that  he  was  a  man  of  great  candor  and 

clear  judgement.     The  reasons  for  the  advice  he 

gave  Mr.  Lee  he  himself  deliberately  stated  in  a 

manuscript  found  among  his  papers  after  his  death. 

The  statement  is  as  follows: 

"In  1834  Messrs.  Jason  and  Daniel  Lee,  and 
Messrs.  Walker  and  P.  L.  Edwards  came  with  Mr. 
Wyeth  to  establish  a  mission  in  the  Flathead  coun- 
try. I  observed  to  them  that  it  was  too  danger- 
ous for  them  to  establish  a  mission;  that  to  do 
good  to  the  Indians  they  must  establish  themselves 
where  they  could  collect  them  around  them;  teach 
them  first  to  cultivate  the  ground  and  live  more 
comfortably  than  they  do  by  hunting,  and  as  they 
do  this  teach  them  religion;  that  the  Willamette 
afforded  them  a  fine  field;  that  they  ought  to  go 
there  and  they  would  get  the  same  assistance  as 
the  settlers.  They  followed  my  advice  and  went 
to  the  Willamette'" 

What  the  decision  that  took  Mr.  Lee  and  his 
mission  to  the  center  of  the  Willamette  valley  real- 
ly portended  for  the  future  of  the  history  of  the 
Church  and  the  natives  on  the  Pacific  Coast  can 


9» 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


\ 


only  be  understood  by  understanding  the  relation 
of  the  field  he  occupied  to  the  whole  Pacific  North- 
west. He  was  too  foresighted  a  man  not  to  have 
foreseen,  even  in  that  early  day,  what  has  come  to 
be  solid  fact  long  ago.  It  was  no  accident,  nor 
yet  was  it  any  influence  that  Dr.  McLoughlin  or 
any  other  man  or  men  had  over  him  that  determin- 
ed his  choice.  It  was  his  own  clear  and  comprehen- 
sive statesmanship.  Mr.  Lee  was  not  a  man  of 
hasty  impulse.  He  was  a  man  of  careful  thought; 
reticent  in  expression,  but  of  prompt  decision  and 
vigorous  action  when  his  problem  was  thought 
out.  Diflficulties  and  toil  were  nothing  to  him. 
Ends  were  all.  These  clearly  discerned,  pla'n  ot 
rough,  easy  or  difficult  the  way  to  them  it  were  all 

the  same.     This  nature  did  not  play  him  false  in 
the  selection  ^f  the  site  of  his  mission. 

Let  the  reader  remember  that  on  his  journey 
into  Oregon  he  had  come  down  the  great  valley 
of  the  Snake  River  and  that  of  the  Columbia 
through  the  heart  of  what  is  now  known  as  the 
"Inland  Empire."  He  had  studied  the  vast  region 
west  of  the  South  Pass  with  the  experienced  eye 
of  the  traveler  and  with  the  anxiety  of  the  mission- 
ary of  the  Cross  looking  for  the  place — the  one 
place — where  he  might  best  set  up  his  banners  in 
the  name  of  God.     He  passed  over  the  very  spot 


THE  FIELD  CHOSEN. 


ft? 


called  Waiiletpu,  where  two  years  later,  Dr.  Whit- 
man established  his  fated  mission.  He  took  care- 
ful note  of  the  relations  of  the  great  Columbia  val- 
ley to  all  the  western  slope  of  the  continent  for 
more  than  a  thousand  miles  inland.  He  conversed 
with  mountain  men ;  rovers  in  the  hills  and  on  the 
plains  whether  of  American  or  British  companies. 
He  met  the  Indians  from  the  North  and  the  South. 
When,  at  length,  he  had  passed  the  barriers  of  all 
the  mountain  ranges,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
Cascades  of  the  Columbia  frit  the  throb  and  beat 
of  the  tides  of  the  Pacific,  more  than  a  hundred 
miles  from  the  sea,  and  saw  before  him  and  around 
him  the  mighty  valley  through  which  that  match- 
less river  rolled,  he  saw  at  once  that  he  was  in  the 
heart  of  the  land  that  must  hold  the  future  of  the 
Pacific  Empire.  Reaching  Vancouver  where,  from 
south  and  north  and  from  east  and  west  the  great 
arable  sweeps  of  land  focus  and  centralize  on  this 
great  river,  he  found  his  own  conclusions  vindicat- 
ed by  the  example  and  advice  of  the  head  ^f  one 
of  the  most  astute  and  successful  mercantile  and 
commercial  companies  that  was  ever  organized  on 
the  American  continent,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany. All  that  remained  for  him  to  do  was  to  fix 
on  the  single  spot  in  all  that  central  region  where 
he  might  inaugurate  the  work  he  had  come  to 


'ill; 


i!  i  II 


n 


m 


«^ 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


perform.  Only  a  few  days  travel  was  necessary, 
so  patent  were  the  conditions  to  an  eye  so  clear  as 
his. 

The  reader  is  already  advised  that  he  made  that 
selection  very  near  where  nov  stands  the  beautiful 
capital  of  the  State  of  Oregon.  It  was  at  that  time 
a  solitude  of  unrivaled  beauty.    Go  where  the  trav- 
eler may,  he  can  find  no  spot  on  earth  more  beau- 
tiful than  the  Valley  of  the  Willamette.     As  it  lay 
in  those  old  days,  could  there  have  been  found  an 
Adam    and    an    Eve    fresh    from    the    Creator's 
hand,  it  might  well  have  been  mistaken  for  the 
olden  Eden  of  the  plains  of  the  Euphrates.     The 
river  that  rolled  through  its  heart  was  clearer  and 
purer  than  "Siloa's  brook."     Its  plains,  bathed  in 
the  soft  sunlight  of  the  September  mornings  and 
evenings  were  like  the  goodliest  vales  of  which 
poets  have  sung.     It's  distant  broidery  of  moun- 
tains, green-sloped  and  snow-crowned,  hold  within 
their  God-wrought  framing  a  relief  picture  of  plain 
and  vv^oodland,  of  river  and  rivulet,  of  hill  and  valley, 
a  hundred  miles  wide  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  long 
for  which  earth  holds  few,  if  any  parallels.    Jaso.n 
Lee  was  not  made  of  that  insensitive  stuff  that 
could  not  feel,  nor  of  that  stony  sightlessness  that 
could  not  see  that  God  had  made  and  kindled  all 
that  glory  for  a  wonderful  destiny  of  power  and 


:ff    \\ 


THE  FIELD  CHOSEN. 


95 


prosperity.    He  saw  it  clearly.    He  comprehended 
it  perfectly.     He  began  at  once  to  build  for  it!  '  ' 

It  was  the  29th  of  September  1834  when  Mr. 
Lee  took  final  leave  of  Vancouver,  and  floated  rap- 
idly down  the  broad  Columbia  towards  the  lower 
mouth  of  the  Willamette.  Captain  Wyeth's  brig 
lay  just  within  the  mouth,  a  little  back  of  "War- 
rior's Point,"  where  that  adventurous  trader  had 
located  a  farm  and  erected  a  trading  post  on  what 
is  now  known  as  Sauvie's  Island.  On  the  next 
day  receiving  a  load  of  mission  goods  from  the  ves- 
sel, in  company  with  Rev.  D.  Lee  and  Mr.  P.  L 
Edwards  he  moved  slowly  up  the  Willamette  and 
at  night  encamped  on  its  bank.  The  quiet  hour  at 
the  camp-fire  was  one  of  meditation  and  prayer. 
"O  my  God  go  with  us,"  he  prayed,  ''for  if  thy 
presence  go  not  with  us  we  cannot  go  up  hence." 
Another  day  was  spent  toiling  slowly  up  the  heavy 
current  of  the  river,  through  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness, among  high  hills,  dark  with  fir  and  cedar, 
and  at  night  the  camp-fire  was  again  kindled  about 
three  miles  above  ihe  site  of  the  present  City  of 
Portland.  The  next  morning  an  Indian  village  at 
the  Falls  of  the  Willamette  was  reached,  and  In- 
dian help  procured  to  make  the  portage  of  one 
mile.  A  wilder,  more  picturesque  scene  than  the 
Willamette  Falls  then  was  it  would  be  hard  to  im- 


i!i 


%    ' 


-J  ,11 


I 


96 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


jagin^.:  .  Great  basaltic  abutments  guard  its  either 
side..,    From   their  summits   tall  firs  nod   to   the 
bree;?e.     Overhanging  willows  dip  their  leafy  cups 
i^it,o  the  crystal  waters.     The  river  above  quietly 
seeks  its  foam-cut  channel  through  the  rocks,  then 
.  ripples,  bubbles,  rushes,  and  leaps  into  a  seething 
white  cauldron  below,  gliding  timidly  out  again 
,and  on  to  the  tide  of  the  sea.    The  curling  smoke 
of  the   wigwams   on   either   side  rose   noiselessly 
through  the  branches  of  the  tall  firs  and  floated 
away, to  the  sky.     Nature,  serene,  and  untouched 
by  art  for  all  its  ages,  is  slumbering  in  its  dream, 
now  first  disturbed  by  the  echoing  foot-fall  of  com- 
ing change.     It  was  a  weary  rest  that  sealed  the 
eyelids  of  the  missionary  when  the  day's  toil  was 
done.  Yet  it  was  rest,  though  he  found  it  "difficult 
to  find  a  place  to  sleep  except  on  small  stones." 
On  Monday,  October  6th,  the  journey  was  com- 
l>leted,  and  a  little  before  dark  the  party  landed  on 
the  eastern  bank  of  the  river,  on  a  beautiful  prairie, 
and  encamped  on  the  selected  ground  of  their  toil. 
The  place  chosen  was  just  above  the  settlement 
of  the  servants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  on 
French  Prairie,  and  considering  the  ignorance  of 
,  the  party  in  relation  to  the  pecularities  of  different 
sections  of  the  country,  well  chosen.     They  had 
reached  it  late  in  advancing  autumn,  were  in  an  un- 


THE  FIELD  CHOSEN.  97 

tried  climate,  and  first  of  all  must  provide  a  shelter 
that  would  stand  to  them  instead  of  home;  little 
like,  though  it  would  be,  that  old  remembered 
vSpot.  They  were  their  own  axemen,  carpenters, 
railmakers,  oxdrivers,  housewives,  everything  that 
the  ever  changing  exigencies  of  the  day  requir- 
ed. Their  work  was  interluded  by  religious  ser- 
vices on  Sunday,  October  19,  when  Mr.  Lee 
preached  at  the  residence  of  a  Mr.  "Gervais"  to  a 
congregation  of  French,  half-casts  and  Indians,  few 
of  whom  understood  anything  he  said.  Five  weeks 
of  such  labor  passed.  The  rainy  season  had  fair- 
ly begun.  Partially  sheltered  by  a  small  tent  at 
night  they  were  only  poorly  prepared  for  the  day. 
The  first  week  of  November  the  logs  of  their  house 
were  up,  a  part  of  the  roof  on,  and  their  goods 
moved  into  it.  The  house  was  of  unhewn  logs, 
32  by  18  feet,  and  one  story  high.  Even  before 
it  was  completed  Mr.  Lee  opened  his  direct  mis- 
sionary work  by  receiving  Indian  children  into  the 
family  for  the  organization  of  a  school,  and  to  im- 
part to  them  their  first  lessons  of  Christian  faith. 


■  y  i 

'    i  »  >llt;ll!H.  '^ 


VI 


THE  OPENING  WORK. 


■  •  I  ■ 

"The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wilderness  <  Prepare 
ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight  in  the  desert  a  highway 
for  our  God.'  " — Isaiah. 


!1  ^1 


H      ! 


THE  winter  of  1834  and  '35  was  mainly 
and  necessarily  spent  in  preparation  for 
the  future.  Beyond  all  people  Indians  are 
improvident  for  themselves,  and  consequent- 
ly unable,  even  if  willing,  to  supply  the 
wants  of  others.  Everything  depended  there- 
fore on  the  strength  of  their  own  arm,  and 
courage  of  their  own  will.  Still  amidst  the  toil  of 
the  month  Mr.  Lee  found  time  and  occasion  to 
visit  Vancouver,  where  on  the  14th  of  December 
he  preached,  and  baptised  four  adults  and  seven- 
teen children.  Undoubtedly  these  were  the  first 
that,  on  Oregon  soil,  were  consecrated  to  God  by 
the  rite  of  holy  baptism.  The  gentlemen  of  the 
Fort  indicated  their  friendship  for  Mr.  Lee  and  the 
mission  by  handing  him  a  voluntary  contribution 
of  twenty  dollars  for  its  benefit. 

With  the  opening  spring  the  necessity  for  man- 
ual labor  was  no  less  urgent.     Ground  was  to  be 


THE  OPENING   WORht. 


99 


fenced  and  broken,  seed  sown,  and  finally  the  har- 
vest to  be  garnered.  In  the  midst  of  this  manual 
toil,  some  part  of  eveiy  day  was  employed  in 
teaching  the  Indians,  the  children  especially,  and 
the  Sabbaths  were  all  diligently  usee;!  for  religious 
worship.  Their  services  were  established  first  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  Joseph  Gervais,  though  after- 
wards removed  to  the  mission  station  near  by. 
The  principal  attendants  were  French  and  half- 
casts,  children  of  the  retired  servants  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Com[»ai>y.  Over  the  French,  who  were 
mostly  from  Canada,  Mr.  Lee  had  great  influence, 
which  he  held  to  an  unwonted  degree  until  h.e 
finally  left  the  country,  notwithstanding  the  sub- 
sequent advent  of  Roman  Catholic  priest's  among 
them. 

All  that  could  be  done  during  these  months  of 
preparation  in  the  work  of  instructing  the  Indians 
was  done.  In  March  the  mission  school  was  com- 
fided  to  the  faithful  hands  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Shepard, 
who  had  spent  the  winter  at  Vancouver  teaching 
the  children  belonging  to  the  Fort.  By  midsum- 
mer the  school  appeared  well  established,  when  an 
incident  occured  which  indicated  at  once  the  slight 
hold  the  mission  had  on  the  Indian  mind,  and  the 
personal  peril  of  the  missionaries  themselves  in  the 
prosecution  of  their  peaceful  work. 


Iflp 

iP 

lOO 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


An  Indian  boy  by  the  name  of  Ken-o-tr.esh  was 
received  in  the  school  in  April,  and  died  the  follow- 
ing August.  The  brother  of  Ken-o-teesh  resolved 
to  revenge  his  death  by  taking  the  life  of  Daniel 
Lee  and  Cyrus  Shepard.  He  visited  the  mission, 
armed  for  the  purpose,  and  remained  over  night 
seeking  the  opportunity  to  glut  his  barbarous  ap- 
petJce  for  blood.  An  Indian  friendly  to  the  mis- 
sionaries had  accompanied  him  to  the  mission  and 
by  his  constant  vigilence  prevented  his  accom- 
plishing his  design.  Not  satisfied,  however,  with- 
out blood,  soon  after  he  left  the  mission  premises 
he  fell  upon  a  small  band  of  unarmed  Indians  and 
savagely  murdered  several  of  them. 

Ill  health,  arising  doubtless  from  the  malari.\ 
from  the  newly  turned  prairie,  interferred  with  the 
labors  of  the  missionaries,  and  converted  the  mis- 
sion into  a  hospital,  so  that  Mr,  Daniel  Lee  was 
compelled  to  seek  relief  in  a  voyage  to  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  and  Mr.  Edwards  having  left  the  ser- 
vice of  the  mission,  only  Jason  Lee  and  Cyrus 
Shepard  remained  for  the  winter  of  1835  and  '36. 

It  was  in  1835  ^'^^t  Rev.  Samuel  Parker  visited 
Oregon  in  the  service  of  A.  B.  F.  M.  with  a  view 
to  the  establishment  of  missionsamong  the  Indians 
west  of  the  Rockv  Mountains  bv  the  Board.  He 
was  a  remarkably  intelligent  and  comprehensive 


THE  OPENING   WOJih'. 


/or 


observer,  aiul  on  his  return  to  the  east  made  a  very 
able  and  important  report  to  th*"  Board  that  had 
sent  iiini  out.  I.ater  he  published  i  book  entitled. 
"Exploring-  Tour  Beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains." 
on  the  whole  the  most  valu^ole  and  «iientitic  ac- 
count of  the  country  published  up  to  that  time. 
Mr,  Parker  visited  the  Methodist  Mission  on  the 
Willamette  on  the  26th  of  November,  1835.  The 
account  of  his  visit,  giving  as  it  does,  the  impres- 
sions of  one  eminenily  qualified  to  judge  of  the 
character  of  such  work,  is  well  worth  transcribing 
on  this  page.    It  is  as  follows: 

**Near  the  upper  settlement  the  Methodist 
Church  of  the  United  States  ha=  established  a  mis- 
sion among  the  Calapooah  Indians,  of  whom  there 
are  but  few  remaining.  Rev.  Messrs.  Jason  Lee 
and  Daniel  Lee  are  the  ordained  missionaries,  and 
Mr.  Shepard  teacher. 

"Their  principal  mode  of  instruction  for  the 
present,  is  l)\-  means  of  schools.  They  have  at  this 
time  Indian  children  in  their  school,  supported 
i.'.  their  family,  and  the  prospect  of  obtaining 
others  as  fast  as  they  can  accomodate  them.  Their 
facilities  for  jjrovidii-r  for  their  school  are  good, 
having  an  opportimity  to  cultivate  as  much  e.Kcel- 
lent  land  as  they  desire,  and  to  iaise  the  necessaries 
of  life  in  great  abundance,  with  little  more  labor 
than  what  the  scholars  can  perform,  for  their  suj)- 
port.  The  missionaries  have  an  additional  oppor- 
tunity of  usefulness,  which  is  to  establish  a  Chris- 
tian influence  in  these  infant  settlements.  Mr.  J. 
Lee  preaches  to  them  on  the  Sabbath,  and  they 


1 11 


!f 


J02 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


have  a  very  interesting  Sabbath  school  among  the 
half-breed  children.  These  children  generally  have 
fair  complexions,  active  minds,  and  make  a  fine 
appearance.  The  prospect  is  that  this  mission 
may  lay  a  foundation  for  extensive  usefulness. 
There  is  yet  one  important  desideratum — the  mis- 
sionaries have  no  wives.  Christian  white  women 
are  very  much  needed  to  exert  an  influence  over 
Indian  females.  The  female  character  must  be  ele- 
vated, and  until  this  is  done  but  little  is  accom- 
plished, and  females  can  have  access  to,  and  in- 
fluence over  females  in  many  departments  of  in- 
struction, to  much  better  advantage  than  men. 
And  the  model  which  is  furnished  by  an  intelligent 
and  pious  family  circle,  is  that  i:ind  of  practical  in- 
struction, whether  at  home  or  abroad,  which  never 
fails  to  recommend  the  Gospel." 

Mr.  Parker  remained  with  our  missionaries  only 
a  couple  of  days,  and  they  chanced  to  be  a^  a  time 
when  a  strange  epidemic  was  raging  among  tl>e 
Indian  children  at  the  mission,  and  during  his  brief 
stay  several  of  them  died. 

It  was  a  great  relief  and  encouragement  to  IVIr. 
Lee  and  his  lonely  company  to  have  the  visit  and 
encouragement  of  this  accomplished  and  Christian 
man.  and  indefatigable  and  intelligent  expU.'-er, 
and  the  benediction  of  his  presence  and  prayers  re- 
mained long  after  he  had  gone. 

Notwithstanding  the  somewhat  discouraging 
influences  that  surrounded  the  mission  on  account 
of  the  prevalent  sickness  spoken  of,  at  the  close  of 


THE  OPENING   WORK. 


lo^ 


the  year  the  school  had  so  increased  as  to  require  a 
large  addition  to  its  accommodations.  The  children 
made  rapid  progress  in  the  branches  taught  them, 
and  manifested  a  very  general  ambition  to  lay 
aside  habits  of  barbarism  and  adopt  the  manners 
of  civilization. 

And  the  mission  had  also  at  this  time  so  im- 
pressed the  gentlemen  of  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
then  in  the  country,  its  influence  was  so  marked 
for  good  on  the  retired  servants  of  the  company, 
that  Dr.  McLoughlin  and  other  officers  of  the  com- 
pany at  Vancouver  voluntarily  forwarded  to  Mr. 
Lee  the  generous  donation  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  under  cover  of  the  following  note: 

Fort  Vancouver,  ist  March,  1836. 
"The  Rev.  Jason  Lee, 
Dear  Sir: 
I  do  myself  the  pleasure  to  hand  you  the  enclos- 
ed subscription,  which  the  gentlemen  who  have 
signed  it  request  you  will  do  them  the  favor  to  ac- 
cept for  the  use  of  the  mission;  and  they  pray  our 
Heavenly  Father,  without  whose  assistance  we  can 
do  nothing,  that  of  his  infinite  mercy  he  will  vouch- 
safe to  bless  and  prosper  your  pious  endeavors, 
and  believe  me  to  be,  with  esteem  and  regard,  your 
sincere  well-wisher  and  humble  servant. 

JOHN  McLOUGHLIN. 

The  personal  character  of  those  who  contributed 
this  sum  and  the  terms  in  which  their  communica- 
tion was  made  sufficient. r  indicate  the  favorable 


Irlj 


f  i 


■I    t 


lO^f 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


M 


impression  the  work  of  the  mission  was  making  on 
their  minds.  None  of  these  gentlemen  were  mem- 
bers of  the  community  to  which  Mr.  Lee  belonged, 
and  all  of  them  were  British  subjects.  Hence  all 
the  prejudices  of  country  and  even  of  religious  af- 
filiation stood  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  cause 
they  so  generously  and  delicately  served  on  this 
occasion.  It  was  one  of  those  acts  that  redeem  hu- 
manity from  many  surmises  of  utter  selfishness,  and 
deserved,  as  it  received,  the  grateful  acknowledge- 
ments of  those  in  whose  aid  it  was  performed. 

New  as  was  the  country,  and  distant  from  civil- 
ization, yet  occasional  episodes  of  thrilling  interest 
were  sometimes  enacted  with  the  wandering  ones, 
who,  either  for  crime  or  adventure,  had  strayed 
into  those  wild  retreats.  Many  loved  sons  of  New^ 
England  mothers  found  lonely  and  unsculptured 
sepulture  at  the  foot  of  some  mountain,  or  by 
some  rushing  rivulet  in  this  far-away  clime,  c. 
prodigal,  dying  at  last,  only  to  feel  when  dying 
how  fearful  was  the  end  of  his  wasted  life.  Mr.  Lee 
was  called  to  visit  the  death  bed  of  such  an  one, 
Mr.  G.  Sargeant,  a  native  of  New  England.  As  he 
entered  the  room  the  dying  man  told  him.  with 
horror  in  his  tones,  what  a  life  of  wickedness  he 
had  lived,  and  what  a  death  of  dispair  he  was  dying. 
The  memory  of  the  Churches  and  Christianity  of 


THE  OPENING   WORK. 


i(>3 


his  native  New  England  was  upon  his  heart,  while 
though  sadly  and  unwillingly  far  away  from  them 
he  was  ending  a  miserable  career.  Mr.  Lee  point- 
ed his  dying  eye  to  "The  Lamb  of  God,"  and  com- 
mended his  soul  to  the  mercy  of  the  Divine  Re- 
deemer in  humble,  earnest  prayer.  Respondmg  a 
deep,  and  apparently  sincere  "amen,"  he  ceased  at 
once  to  breathe. 

The  year  1836  was  closing.  On  the  last  day  of 
December  it  was  found  that  added  to  the  miscel- 
laneous labors  of  preaching  the  Gospel  among  the 
roving  tribes  and  in  the  scattered  settlements  of 
French  and  haif-breeds  the  mission  had  under  in- 
struction twenty-five  children.  By  their  own  labor 
the  missionaries  had  raised  enough  food  to  sustain 
themselves  and  the  school  for  the  following  year. 

It  is  well  to  pause  here  and  note  that  this  man- 
ual labor  was  a  severe  tax  on  the  time  and  strength 
of  the  missionaries  To  Mr.  Jason  Lee,  as  superin- 
tendent, all  looked  to  set  an  example  of  industry 
in  whatever  department  the  call  of  the  hour  requir- 
ed effort.  That  example  was  never  wantmg.  He 
proved  himself  the  careful  and  competent  superin- 
tendent, as  well  as  the  earnest  and  hard-working 
laborer,  and  the  consecrated  minister. 

Now  occured  an  event  in  which  Mr.  Lee  and  his 
coadjutors  stepped  boldly  out  to  the  front  to  shield 


r« 


io6 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


I 


ii 


111 


■«i 


the  Indian  tribes  and  all  others  in  the  country  from 
a  swift  and  terrible  destruction.  Two  men  had 
entered  into  an  engagement  to  begin  the  manu- 
facture of  ardent  spirits,  and  had  already  begun 
work  by  procuring  apparatus  for  that  purpose. 
It  would  not  only  have  been  destruction  to  the 
mission,  but  probably  death  to  the  missionaries. 
The  gentlemen  of  the  mission  addressed  to  Young 
and  Carmich  \el,  the  persons  engaged  in  the  crim- 
inal purpose,  a  bold  but  dignified  and  decided  pro- 
test. They  reminded  them  that  they  were  violat- 
ing the  laws  of  the  United  States,  endangering  the 
lives  of  the  people,  and  ended  by  promising  lo  pay 
them  what  they  had  already  expended  if  they 
would  only  desist  from  their  purpose.  Young  and 
Carmichael  replied  endeavoring  to  extenuate  their 
purpose,  alleging  the  tyranny  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  the  obstacles  thrown  by  that  com- 
pany in  the  way  of  all  business  enterprises  but 
their  own,  but  finally  agreed  to  abandon  the  un- 
dertaking, declining,  however,  to  receive  any  com- 
pensation for  their  outlay.  No  other  influence  but 
that  of  the  missionaries  could  have  secured  the 
country  at  that  time  from  the  blighting  curse  of 
rum. 

In  connection  with  the  incident  just  recorded  it 
seems  proper  at  this  point  to  relate  another  that 


THE  OPENING   WORK. 


loj 


still  more  strongly  illustrates  the  strength  and  in- 
fluence the  mission  had  attained  in  the  brief  time  it 
iiad  existed. 

With  all  the  personal  friendship  of  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin  for  Mr.  Lee,  and  the  constant  favors  that 
as  a  man  he  was  conferring  upon  the  mission,  in 
his  relation  to  both  as  head  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  he  was  compelled  to  be  governed  by  the 
rules  and  policy  of  the  company  he  served.  Some 
of  these  rules  bore  hardly  on  all  who  were  not  con- 
nected with  that  great  company,  and  though  orig- 
inally adopted  to  shield  the  company  from  all  busi- 
ness competition,  their  application  was  just  as  bur- 
densome to  the  poor  settlers  in  the  country  and 
to  the  missionaries  as  they  would  have  been  to 
business  enterprises.  Among  these  rules  was  this: 
All  the  cattle  in  the  country  belonged  to  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  the  policy  of  the  com- 
pany forbade  the  selling  of  any  to  any  one.  They 
would  loan  cows  to  the  settlers,  including  the  mis- 
sionanes,  but  they  must  be  returned  with  all  of 
their  increase.  All  felt  that  this  state  of  things 
could  not  be  endured.  The  mission,  with  Jason 
Lee  at  its  head  as  Dr.  McLoughlin  was  at  the  head 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  was  the  only  body 
that  could  step  forward,  either  for  its  own  libera- 
tion or  the  liberation  of  the  few  settlers  of  the 


11* 


loS 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


if 


V, 

■'1 


country  from  what  they  ill  felt  to  be  a  tyranny. 
Mr.  Lee  in  his  direct,  plain  way,  proposed  the  or- 
ganization of  a  company  for  the  purpose  of  sending 
to  California  and  purchasing  a  band  of  neat  cattle 
for  the  settlers  and  the  mission.     The  few  settlers 
responded  to  the  plan  to  the  extent  of  their  ability. 
For  the  most  part  the  subscriptions  of  the  settlers 
were  paid  in  service  in  going  to  California,  obtain- 
ing, and  driving  the  cattle  to  the  Willamette,  a 
distance  of  about  600  miles.     The  enterprise  was 
entirely  successful.    The  expedition  was  put  under 
the  care  of  Mr.  Ewing  Young,  with  Mr.  P.  L.  Ed- 
wards of  the  original  missionary  force  as  treasurer. 
In  a  few  wrecks  it  returned  with  six  hundred  head 
of  cattle  which  were  distributed  among  the  set- 
tlers according  to  the  terms  of  the  compact.     The 
justice  of  history  cannot  be  preserved  without  say- 
ing at  this  point,  that  while,  as  the  head  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  Dr.  McLoughlin  rigorous- 
ly executed  the  rules  of  that  corporation  in  all  re- 
spects, yet  he  not  only  did  not  oppose  this  enter- 
prise of  Mr.  Lee,  but  he  became  personally  a  sul)- 
scriber  to  the  stock  of  the  cattle  company  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  and  practically  all  the  money  used 
on  the  occasion  came  from  the  mission  through 
Mr.  Lee  and  from  Dr.  McLoughlin.    This  was  the 
beginning  of  the  end  of  Hudson's  Bay  dominance 


THE  OPENING   WORK. 


log 


in  Oregon,  but  as  the  "Relations  of  the  missions 
and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company"  are  to  be  dis- 
cussed in  a  subsequent  chapter,  no  more  need  be 
said  about  it  now. 

Another  incident  closely  associated  with  the  pre- 
ceeding,  and  showing  in  a  still  wider  sense  the  at- 
tention the  mission  as  the  center  and  organizer  of 
whatever  American  sentiment  existed  in  the  coun- 
try was  attracting,  was  this:  At  the  close  of  1836 
Mr.  William  A.  Slacum,  United  States  naval  agent, 
on  a  special  mission  to  the  coast,  arrived  in  the  Co- 
lumbia on  the  brig  Loriot,  and  was  anchored  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Willamette,  when  plans  were  be- 
ing made  for  the  importation  of  the  cattle.  His 
position  as  a  representative  of  the  United  States 
government  gave  him  great  influence.  He  seem- 
ed every  way  to  deserve  it.  He  visited  nearlv 
every  house  in  the  community,  took  an  account  of 
the  produce  of  their  farms  and  the  number  of  the 
inhabitants  and  interested  himself  in  every  way  in 
the  American  settlement  and  in  the  mission  as  its 
center.  When  the  company  that  was  sent  to  Cal- 
ifornia for  the  cattle  was  ready  to  go  he  made  the 
generous  offer  to  convey  them  to  San  Francisco  in 
his  brig  free  of  expense,  e.xcept  for  board,  which 
offer  was  of  course  gratefully  accepted,  and  thus 


I 


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MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


Mi 


: 


easily  and  speedily  they  were  conveyed  to  their 
destination. 

As  Mr.  Slacum  was  taking  leave  of  the  country 
he  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  Jason  Lee  as  '  as  Van- 
couver. As  he  was  leaving  the  mission,  »/hich  he 
mainly  made  his  headquarters  while  in  the  coun- 
try, a  letter  signed  by  the  missionaries,  commenda- 
tory of  his  course  while  in  the  country,  was  put  in- 
to his  hands.  At  his  last  interview  with  Mr.  Lee 
at  Vancouver,  just  before  the  sailing  of  his  vessel, 
he  put  into  Mr.  Lee's  hand  the  following  letter, 
most  appreciative  of  the  work  of  the  mission  and 
most  honorable  to  himself  as  a  gentleman  and  an 
American: — 

"American  Brig  Loriot,  ofif  the  Wallamet, 

i8th  January,  1837. 
My  Dear  Sirs: 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  acknowledging  your 
kind  favor  of  the  i6th,  and  I  beg  leave  to  thank 
you  for  the  expression  of  regard  contained  therein. 
It  was  indeed  a  source  of  regret  that  I  could  con- 
tinue no  longer  at  your  mission  on  the  banks  of  the^ 
Wallamet,  for  the  visit  was  to  me  one  of  exceeding 
interest.  On  my  return  to  the  civilized  parts  of 
our  country  I  shall  not  hesitate  to  express  my  hum- 
ble opinion  that  you  have  already  effected  a  great 
public  good  by  practically  showing  that  the  In- 
dians west  of  the  Rock  Mountains  are  capable  of 
the  union  of  mental  and  physical  discipline,  as 
taught  at  your  establishment.  For  I  have  seen 
with  my  own  eyes  children  who,  two  years  ago, 


THE  OPENING   WORK. 


Ill 


were  roaming  in  their  own  native  wilds  in  a  state  of 
savage  barbarism,  now  being  brought  within  the 
knowledge  of  moral  and  religious  instruction,  be- 
coming useful  members  of  society  by  being  taught 
the  most  useful  of  all  arts,  agriculture,  and  all  this 
without  the  slightest  compulsion. 

As  an  evidence  of  my  good  will  towards  the  laud- 
able efforts  you  are  making  in  this  remote  quarter, 
debarred  of  almost  every  comfort,  deprived  of  the 
association  of  kindred,  and  of  home,  I  beg  you  to 
accept  herewith  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars,  only  re- 
gretting my  means  at  present  will  not  allow  me  to 
add  more.  I  pray  you  to  accept,  my  dears  sirs,  the 
assurances  of  the  unfeigned  regard  of 

Your  friend  and  obedient  .servant,       •      • 
WM.  A.  SLACUM,  U.S.N. 

When  Mr.  Slacum  was  preparing  to  leave  the 
country  a  petition  was  drawn  up  and  signed  by  the 
Americans  in  the  Willamette,  and,  at  the  close  of 
1836,  that  meant  little  more  than  the  members  of 
the  Methodist  Mission  there;  and  several  of  the 
French  and  Canadians,  asking  the  United  States 
government  to  recognize  them,  and  to  extend  over 
the  country  Lhe  protection  of  its  laws.  This  was 
put  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Slacum.  That  gentle- 
man made  a  very  able  and  exhaustive  report  to  the 
State  Department,  especially  careful  in  its  study 
of  the  condition,  business  and  methods  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  all  over  the  Pacific  Northwest. 
His  visit  and  reports  undoubtedly  had  a  very  fa- 


1  ij. 


1  ' 


ira 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


vorahle  influence  on  the  sentiments  and  action  of 
the  government  relating  to  Oregon. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  relation  of  the  general 
course  of  the  work  in  the  mission  itself. 

When  Mr.  Lee  was  on  his  journey  to  Oregon  in 
1834  he  traveled,  as  our  readers  will  remember,  in 
company  with  some  of  the  Cayuse  and  Walla  Walla 
Indians  between  Fort  Hall  and  Walla  Walla. 
Among  these  Indians  was  a  Cayuse  by  the  name 
of  We-lap-tu-lekt,  who  became  deeply  interested 
in  the  purpose  of  Mr.  Lee's  mission.  Finding  that 
he  had  decided  to  remain  in  the  Willamette  in- 
stead of  returning  to  Walla  Walla  to  establish  the 
mission,  in  July,  1836,  Welaptulekt  brought  two  of 
his  sons  to  the  mission  school  to  be  educated.  He 
was  so  well  pleased  with  what  he  saw  and  heard 
there  that  he  returned  at  once  to  his  country  and 
removed  his  entire  family  and  settled  them  near 
the  mission.  His  children  entered  the  school  and 
made  rapid  advancement.  This  was  hailed  as  an 
omen  of  good  by  the  missionaries,  as  it  showed 
that  the  leaven  of  their  work  was  operating  far  be- 
yond the  limits  of  their  own  mission.  But  this 
was  quickly  all  changed.  Two  of  Welaptulekt's 
children  died,  another  was  taken  with  a  burning 
fever,  and  Welaptulekt's  superstitious  fears  were  all 
aroused.     He  fled  with  his  family  from  what  a  few 


THE  OPEN  INC.    WORK. 


rr3 


weeks  before  he  had  sought  as  an  asykini  of  life 
and  hope  for  him  and  his,  but  which  had  proved  the 
house  of  death  to  them.  Before  he  had  proceeded 
far  the  other  child  died,  and  wrapping  its  form  in 
a  blanket  he  hastened  still  more  rapidly  up  the  Co- 
luml)ia,  sounding  the  death  wail  through  the  night 
and  over  the  wave. 

This  incident  had  a  widespread  effect.  It 
reached  with  disastrous  force  the  Indian  mind, 
for  two  hundred  miles  around.  That  mind  had, 
in  its  deep  superstition,  a  basis  of  suspicion  and  fear 
already  laid,  and  such  an  event  only  too  strongly 
aroused  that  suspicion.  Why  should  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  mission  be  so  fatal?  \Vhy,  in  the 
presence  of  the  missionaries  should  the  Indian  race 
fade  and  die?  What  fearful  "medicine"  was  there 
in  the  white  man's  shadow  that,  as  it  rested  on  the 
Indian's  path,  poisoned  his  steps?  The  Indian 
was  never  a  reasoner.  He  knows  literally  nothing 
of  any  law  of  ratiocination.  What  he  sees  that  is 
good,  according  to  his  idea  of  good,  is  the  effect 
of  "good  medicine."  He  stops  not  to  ask  the  why 
or  the  wherefore. 

One  of  the  most  difficult  works  that  ever  grace 
performed  is  to  lift  an  Indian  out  of  his  old  super- 
stitions and  paganism  so  as  to  enthrone  a  Chris- 
tian reason  in  his  dark  mind.     His  nature  has  run 


t    ; 


114 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


in  ruts  of  darkness  for  ages  how  long?  The  world 
and  even  the  church  never  allows  Christianity  and 
Christian  agencies  half  enough  time  for  their  work. 
They  are  childish  in  their  demand  for  "immediate 
results."  The  Church  certainly  ought  to  be  able 
to  "wait,"  for  she  has  the  heritage  of  the  ages. 
It  is  not  surprising  that  this  unfortunate  con- 
clusion of  the  attempts  of  an  Indian  father  to  edu- 
cate his  children  and  prepare  them  for  a  life  of  civ- 
ilization should  exert  such  deep  and  widespread 
apprehension  among  the  Indians.  It  was  mu.h 
more  difficult  after  this  to  procure  children  for  the 
school  than  it  had  been.  Still  the  prospects  of  the 
mission  were  far  from  being  discouraging.  Indeed 
they  were  so  much  the  reverse  of  this  that  Mr.  Lee 
had  already  written  to  the  Board  at  home,  urgent- 
ly requesting  reinforcements  to  be  sent  forward. 
The  Board  had  responded  by  the  appointment  of 
eight  persons,  including  a  physician,  as  assistant 
missionaries,  and  dispatching  them  from  Boston  in 
July  of  1836.  This  reinforcement  included  also  five 
ladies,  and  as  they  were,  next  to  Mrs.  Whitman  and 
Mrs.  Spaulding,  of  the  mission  of  the  American 
Board  of  the  interior,  the  pioneers  of  their  sex  in 
the  christianization  of  Oregon,  it  is  proper  their 
names  should  be  here  recorded.  They  were  Mrs. 
Dr. E.White, Mrs. Alanson  Beers, Miss  Anna  Maria 


THE  OPENING   WORK. 


'i5 


I'ittman,  Miss  Susan  Downing  and  Miss  Elvira 
Johnson.  This  company  reached  Oregon  in  May, 
1837,  having  heen  only  two  months  less  than  a  year 
from  Boston.  How  they  were  welcomed  by  the 
missionaries,  especially  as  they  were  hereafter  to 
have  their  lone  mission  home  lighted  up  by  the 
presence  of  educated  and  Christian  females,  may 
be  imagined. 

The  work  of  the  mission  was  at  once  enlarged. 
Discharged  by  the  opportune  arrival   of  the  lay 
helpers  from  the  great  burden  of  domestic  care  and 
manual  labor  heretofore  necessary,   Mr.  Lee  was 
henceforth  able  to  devote  more  time  to  the  strictly 
spiritual    department'  of   the   mission.     Still,    lest 
those  unacquainted  with  Indian  character  should 
be  mislead,  and  so  underestimate  the  manunl  part 
of  mission  work,  it  is  proper  to  note  thai  in  all 
successful  Indian  missions  the  plow  and  the  gospe' 
go  together.     If  is  harder  to  teach  an  Indian  to 
work  than  it  is  to  teach  him  to  worship.     He  is  in 
dolent  except  in  war  and  in  the  chase,  and  he  has 
been  taught  that  work  is  for  the  slaves  and  women. 
So  while  Mr.  Lee  was  holding  the  plow,  driving  the 
oxen. or  hewing  the  beam,  he  was  breaking  down 
the  old  prejudices  of  the  Indian  mind  against  work, 
and  really  every  time  he  turned  a  furrow  of  the 
prairie  sod  he  was  driving  a  not  less  needed  plow- 


II     mp   ' 


Ii6 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


share  through  the  stubborn  moral  soil  that  sur- 
rounded him. 

Little  could  be  done  comparatively  in  any  Indian 
mission  for  the  improvement  of  the  adults.  Some 
of  the  more  amiable  and  capable  will  give  good 
response  to  effort',  but  for  the  most  part  the  men- 
tal and  moral  accretions  of  years  of  vicious  and 
barbarous  life  are  too  thoroughly  hardened  into 
their  very  being  to  be  materially  modified  by  civ- 
ilizing or  even  Christianizing  influences.  In  some 
cases  the  sinister  comparison  between  the  intelli- 
gence, refinement  and  comfort  of  a  state  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  the  ignorance,  barbarism  and  degrada- 
tion of  their  own  condition  seems  to  repel  from  the 
former,  and  with  a  scornful  contempt  of  change 
they  proudly  choose  the  old  traditions  of  their 
race,  and  wrap  themselves  in  even  ^;  gloomier  bar- 
barism. The  school,  where  the  young  can  be  with- 
drawn from  contact  with  barbarism,  where  they  can 
have  the  example  of  Christian  life,  as  well  as  the 
teaching  of  letters  and  science,  is  the  absolute  need 
and  the  only  hope.  Very  early  did  this  conclusion 
force  itself  on  the  clear  perception  of  Mr.  Lee,  and 
the  mission  school  became  the  chief  object  of  so- 
licitude at  the  station.  Under  the  general  super- 
vision of  Mr.  Lee  Mr.  Cyrus  Shepard  had  the 
special  oversight  of  the  children.     A  truer  mission- 


THE  OPENING   WORK. 


iij 


ary  never  wrought  in  any  field  than  Cyrus  Shepard. 
The  school  under  his  management  was  an  eminent- 
success,  and  the  glory  and  the  life  of  the  Oregon 
mission.  The  scholars  made  very  rapid  advance- 
ment in  the  English  language,  and  in  the  elements 
of  science,  and  many  of  them  gave  good  evidence 
of  conversion  in  the  virtues  and  tempers  of  a  daily 
Chirstian  life.  At  this  midsummer  about  forty 
were  in  attendance,  and  the  outlook  was  exceed- 
ingly encouraging. 

During  vacation  Mr.  Lee  and  his  faithful  teach- 
er and  friend,  Cyrus  Shepard,  and  their  wives,  took 
two  missionary  tours  among  the  scattering  Indian 
bands  inhabiting  the  upper  valley  of  the  Willamette 
and  that  region  of  the  coast  known  as  Tillamook 
Plains,  These  journeys  occupied  the  whole  of  the 
month  of  August,  and  were  variegated  by  the 
pleasantest  and  most  romantic  scenery,  the  finest 
prairie  encampments,  and  then  by  the  most  precip- 
itous and  mountainous  ascents  and  descents  over 
the  whole  Coast  Range  of  Mountains  to  the  sea. 
Much  of  the  country  traversed,  then  untouched  l)y 
the  hand  of  improvement,  is  now  the  most  charm- 
ing rural  home-world  of  Oregon.  The  silence  that- 
then  reigned  unbroken  except  by  the  voices  of  sav- 
ages and  wild  beasts,  has  long  since  heard  the  echo 
of  the  church  bell,  the  call  to  college  and  seminary 


?ll 


I'     '  i 


m 


II 


ii8 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


halls,  tlie  tread  of  trade,  the  rushing  to  and  fro  of 
the  ponderous  engine,  as  all  the  busy  ways  of  civ- 
ilized industry  have  been  opened  on  the  old  desola- 
tions. Their  labor  among  the  scattered  clans 
probably  produced  little  permanent  fruit  further 
than  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  younger  of 
them  to  the  possibility  of  a  better  state.  Yet  even 
this  possibility  seems,  in  the  logic  of  the  Indian,  to 
be  only  for  the  white  race  not  for  them,  or  for 
their  children. 

::)eptember,  1837,  was  signalized  by  the  arrival 
at  the  mission  station  of  another  reinforcement, 
consiting  of  Rev.  David  Leslie  and  wife,  Rev.  H. 
K.  \\'.  Perkins  and  Miss  Margaret  Smith.  This 
was  a  very  important  accession  to  the  force  of  the 
mission.  Mr.  Leslie  was  a  minister  of  experience, 
having  for  a  number  of  years  held  important  posi- 
tions in  the  New  England  Conference,  and  was 
well  qualified  by  general  culture  and  the  stability 
and  integrity  of  his  character  to  support  and 
strenr  then  the  work  of  the  mission.  Mr.  Perkins 
was  a  younger  man,  of  singular  devotion  to  the 
work  to  which  he  had  been  appointed,  and  with 
a  spirit  of  enthusiasm  which  pushed  him  forward 
in  his  work,  and  often  rendered  that  work  more 
than  ordinarily  successful.  It  was  that  character 
of  reinforcement  which  the  mission  greatly  need- 


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THE  OPENING   WORK. 


119 


ed.  The  secular  department  was  already  better 
provided  for  than  the  ministerial ;  Jason  and  Daniel 
Lee  being  all  the  ministers  connected  with  it.  So 
late  in  .ue  autumn,  however,  did  Mr.  Leslie  and 
Mr.  Perkins  reach  the  country  that  it  was  impracti- 
cable to  establish  any  other  station  until  the  storms 
of  the  winter  had  passed.  In  preparation,  how- 
ever, for  such  tMilargement  of  the  work  at  an  early 
day,  Mr.  Lee  undertook  a  very  difficult  and  labori- 
ous journey  to  the  country  of  the  Umpquas,  two 
hundred  miles  to  the  soiith,  and  reported  to  con- 
tain several  thousand  Indians  accessible  to  mis- 
sionary eflfort. 

This  journey  was  performed  in  the  middle  of 
the  winter.  The  streams  were  swollen  by  long  con- 
tinued rains.  The  narrow  trails  through  morass 
and  wilderness  were  often  nearly  impassable. 
Though  the  Indian  tribes  through  which  he  trav- 
eled were  not  hostile,  yet  they  could  offer  very  few 
of  even  the  necessaries  of  life  to  alleviate  his  discom- 
forts. On  reaching  Fort  Umpqua,  then  a  trading- 
post  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  he  found  the 
condition  of  the  country  such  that  it  appeared  im- 
practicable to  pursue  his  explorations  further,  but 
he  secured  much  encouraging  information  in  re- 
gard to  the  tribes  of  the  valley  and  coast.  So 
difficult  and  laborious  was  his  journey  that  it  con- 


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MISS  ION AR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


sumed  nearly  two  months,  he  reaching  the  station 
on  the  Wallamette  on  his  return  on  the  nth  day 
of  March,  1838. 

The  time  had  now  evidently  come  for  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  field  of  the  mission.  There  were  now 
four  ministers  connected  with  it,  and  their  services 
were  not  all  needed  on  the  Willamette  station.  Af- 
ter a  thorough  canvass  of  the  present  wants  and 
future  possibilities  of  various  sections  of  the  coun- 
try, the  superintendent  determined,  in  accordance 
v,':th  the  unanimous  advice  of  the  missionaries,  cler- 
ical and  lay,  to  establish  the  new  station  eastward 
of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  fixed  upon  a  point 
near  The  Dalles  of  the  Columbia,  among  the  Was- 
co Indians,  as  the  one  having  most  present  impor- 
tance and  future  prospect  in  its  favor. 

In  this  decision  was  again  evinced  the  statesman 
like  grasp  and  forecast  of  Mr.  Lee's  mind.  He  al- 
ready held  the  center  of  the  lower  country.  Dr. 
Whitman,  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  had  located  three 
hundred  miles  eastward.  Mr.  Lee  determined  to 
now  occupy  a  point  where  all  the  converging  lines 
of  travel  from  the  eastward  meet  to  pass  the  bar- 
riers of  the  Cascade  Mountains  to  reach  the  valley 
of  the  lower  Columbia  and  the  Willamette.  This 
place  was  then  known  as  Wascopam.  It  was  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Columbia,  about  three  miles 


THE  OPENING   WORK. 


121 


below  the  lower  end  of  that  narrow,  rock-bound 
channel  known  as  La  Dalles,  and  was  a  place  of 
most  picturesque  scenery.  The  present  city  of 
"The  Dalles"  is  located  on  the  ground  chosen  for 
the  mission. 

The  new  mission  determined  upon,  the  superin- 
tendent designated  Rev.  Daniel  Lee  and  Rev.  H. 
K.  W.  Perkins  as  the  missionaries.  Mr.  Lee  was 
cool,  deliberate,  cautious  and  prudent  though  per- 
sistent and  determined.  Mr.  Perkins  was  enthu- 
siastic, hopeful,  full  of  fiery  zeal,  and  had  intense 
spirituality.  Together  there  was  the  daring  and 
impetuosity  of  assault  and  the  hardness  and  stabil  ■ 
ity  of  defence.  Both  were  deeply  and  unwavering- 
ly pious.  Had  the  number  from  whom  to  choose 
been  much  greater,  the  superintendent  could  not 
have  found  two  men  better  adapted  to  such  a  work 
or  more  completely  complemental  of  each  other. 

Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Perkins  left  the  mission  on  the 
Willamette  on  the  14th  of  March.  1838,  for  the 
new  station.  They  embarked  in  two  canoes,  with 
a  cargo  of  supplies,  and  passing  down  the  Willam- 
ette about  sixty  miles  and  then  up  the  Columbia 
about  seventy-five,  reached  Wascopam  safely  on 
the  22d,  and  immediately  began  their  work,  holding 
meetings  with  the  Indians,  and  teaching  them  as 
well  as  thev  were  able  in  the  limited  and  unelastic 


I 
i 


!;,.pii5,ii 


mm 


'■■  /t  :''! 


''-rtfl 


If  '' 


1  -fl, 
It 


111 

i 

I 


122 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


"iaro-on"  which  was  then  used  as  the  mecUum  of 
communication  with  the  natives,  the  first  pnnci- 
ples  of  saving  truth.  The  story  of  the  work  in  this 
field  will  be  recorded  in  a  later  chapter. 


VII. 


AN  EPOCH  OF  HISTORY. 


"A  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth.' 


-John. 


AT  this  time,  outside  of  the  mission,  there  was 
no  society  in  Oregon.     Those  who  made 
any  pretension  to  a  hfe  ahove  that  of  the  savages 
were  mostly  Canadian  Fench,  who,  by  long  residence 
among  the  Indians  had  become  in  habit  and  life 
very  like  those  they  had  so  long  associated  with. 
They  lived  in  the  camp  and  on  the  trail,  and  the 
one  had  been  a  scene  of  barbarity  and  the  other  of 
carousal.     They  were  living  in  a  sort  of  concubin- 
age with  Indian  women  whom  they  took  to  their 
homes  or  cast  away  at  pleasure.     It  is  difficult  to 
depict  to  those  who  have  nexer  seen  any  of  this 
character  of  life  its  utter  degradation  of  thought 
and  feeling  and  action.     Standing  in  the  midst  of 
this  degradation  the  mission  family,  consisting  of 
seven  males  and  fivp  females,  was  a  world  to  itself, 
and  a  new  w^orld  to  those  who  surrounded  them. 
In   the  mission   house   there  were  books,   intelli 
gence,  refined  speech  and  cultured  manners.     In 
short,    there    were    civilization    and    Christianitv. 


t 


124. 


MISS  ION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


Outside  there  were  no  books,  little  intelligence, 
coarse  speech,  barbarism  and  paganism.  This 
band  of  twelve  two  thousand  miles  away  from  the 
nearest' echo  of  the  church  bell  reminds  one  of  that 
other  and  earlier  band  of  like  number  who  took 
the  banner  of  the  Crucified  fresh  from  the  pierced 
hand  of  the  cross  and  went  forth  to  the  conquest 
of  the  world.  This  twelve  bore  a  kindred  banner 
and  had  come  forth  to  a  kindred  conquest.  Their 
faith  in  the  "Captain  of  their  Salvation"  was  hardly 
less  radical  than  that  of  the  first  disciples.  Their 
isolation  was  even  more  complete.  The  earlier 
stood  where  deep  philosphies  and  trained  thought 
could  weigh  in  intellectual  scales  the  message 
brought  them  from  Zion.  These  stood  where  stolid 
ignorance,  incapable  of  weighing  argument  or 
appreciating  culture  heard  their  message  with  list- 
less indifference.  Theirs  was  the  more  hopeless 
mission.  The  eulogies  we  pronounce  on  the  old 
apostleship  that  carried  the  gospel  into  Macedonia 
are  but  the  just  tribute  we  should  pay  that  not  less 
self-denying  apostleship  that  planted  the  Gospel 
first  in  Oregon.  ;  ,    ■,-   -      ,- 

On  the  arrival  of  the  "elect  ladies"  at  the  mission 
the  influence  of  its  work  began  perceptibly   to 
broaden.     The  old  truth,  uttered  in  the  very  in- 
fancy of  our  race,  'Tt  is  not  good  for  the  man  to  be 


AN  EPOCH  OF  HISTORY 


taS 


alone,"  was  founded  in  the  order  of  a  divine  philos- 
ophy. It  is  as  true  in  missions  among-  heathen 
and  barbarous  tribes  as  anywhere  in  Ufe.  After  op- 
portunities of  wide  observation  running  through 
near  half  a  century  among  Indian  missions,  Prot- 
estant and  CatholiCjthe  writer  is  prepared  to  say 
that  any  mission  that  leaves  out  the  family  is  an 
assured  failure. 

The  necessity  of  the  presence  of  Christian  wo- 
manhood and  wifehood  to  the  ultimate  success  of 
missionary  work  among  the  barbarous  peoples  to 
whom  he  was  sent  was  clear  to  Mr.  Lee  and  his  co- 
workers from  the  beginning.  It  was  also  clear  to 
the  Missionary  Board  under  whose  direction  they 
labored.  But  they  were  to  enter  into  an  absolute- 
ly unknown  land,  and  simple  prudence  required 
that  they  should  come  alone,  although  it  was  well 
understood  that  at  as  early  a  day  as  Providence 
should  seem  to  dictate  Christian  ladies  should  join 
them  in  their  distant  field.  They  came  not  too 
soon  nor  too  many.  They  were  not  too  soon  to 
relieve  the  missionaries  from  the  cares  of  domestic 
toil  that  necessarily  required  their  attention,  nor 
too  many  for  the  influence  of  the  mission  among 
the  surrounding  people. 

Sabbath,  the  i6th  day  of  July,  1837,  was  a  day 
that  dated  an  epoch  not  only  in  the  work  of  the 


it 


I  I'll 


i! 


ifi^^ 


t 


1^ 


li 


p  'I 


,.4 


1  A 


:    I    «: 


!     f 


\*  i 


126 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


1        < 


mission,  but  in  the  history  of  the  Pacific  Coast  as 
well.  Near  the  mission  house,  on  the  margin  of  a 
most  beautiful  prairie,  stood  one  of  those  groves  of 
small  fir  trees,  with  some  interspersing  oaks,  that 
impart  such  romantic  loveliness  to  the  plains  of  the 
Willamette.  It  had  been  carefully  prepared  and 
seated  for  the  small  congregation  that  was  expect- 
ed to  join  in  the  first  public  sacramental  service 
ever  held  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  to  wit- 
ness the  marriage  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Shepard  and  Miss 
Susan  Jowning,  a  lady  of  culture  and  high  Chris- 
tian character,  who  had  left  her  tine  New  England 
home  to  join  her  at'iianced  husl)an(l  in  tlie  deep 
wilderness  of  Oregon,  and  with  him  there  to  dedi- 
cate her  life  to  mis^^iDiiary  service.  The  day  was 
one  of  Oregon's  loveliest.  The  cloudless  sky, 
with  a  clear  blue  seen  nowhere  1)ut  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  bent  from  horizon  to  horizon,  a  canopv  of 
glory  over  the  scene.  A  gentle  sea-breeze  just 
rustled  the  evergreen  branches  of  the  firs  which 
distilled  a  sweet,  odorous  welcome  to  the  little 
band  that  were  quietly  gathering  for  fellowshi]) 
and  worship  under  their  cool  shadows.  Seven  men 
and  five  women  came  from  the  mission  house.  A 
few  white  men,  who,  some  chance  day,  had  strayed 
down  from  the  mountains  or  floated  up  from  the 
sea,  led  by  curiosity  or  prompted  by  the  Good 


BS 


;( ' 


AN  EPOCH  OF  HISTORY. 


I2y 


Spirit,  found  their  way  to  the  shadowy  sanctuary. 
Besides  the  five  from  the  mission  house  there  was 
not  another  white  woman  within  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  and  but  two  others  west  of  the  Rocky 
MouMiains.  The  mission  scliool  of  thirty  or  forts' 
Indian  children  was  there.  Around  the  out- 
skirts of  the  little  audience  a  fringe  of  the  dusky 
daughters  of  the  forest,  with  scarlet  shawls  about 
their  shoulders,  with  beaded  leggings  and  mocca- 
sins, stood  or  reclined,  a  suggestive  and  romantic 
framework  for  the  little  group  of  civilized  and 
Christian  life  within  the  circle.  The  Canadian- 
Frenchmen  of  the  settlement,  with  their  Indian 
companionsand  half-caste  children,  in  decent  attire, 
and  with  timid  decorousness,  occupied  seats  with 
the  Americans.  Few  such  congregations  were 
ever  gathered. 

When  all  were  seated  Mr.  Jason  Lee  arose  and 
in  his  composed,  impressive  way  announced  Ad- 
dison's beautiful  hymn  of  gratitude: — 

"When  all  thy  mercies,  O!  my  God, 
'  My  rising  soul  surveys, 

Transported  with  the  view,  I'm  lost 
In  wonder,  love,  and  praise." 

It  may  well  be  thought  that  this  beautiful  and 
soulful  hymn  was  sang  that  morning  in  that  Ore- 
gon grove  "with  the  Spirit  and  with  the  under- 
standing also." 


lip 


I  I     s 


f 


I2S 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


Mr.  Lee  then  "fervently  addressed  the  Throne 
of  Grace,  while  every  knee  bent  in  the  attitude  of 
supplication  and  many  prayers  v^ent  up  as  a  mem- 
orial before  God." 

Mr.  Lee  then  arose  and  addressed  the  audience 

as  follows: — 

"My  Beloved  Friends  and  Neighbors.     More 
than  two  years  have  passed  since  God,  in  his  prov- 
idence, cast  my  lot  among  you.     During  this  peri- 
od I  have  addressed  you  many  times  and  on  vari- 
ous subjects,  and  I  trust  that  you  bear  me  witness 
this  day  that  I  have  never,  in  any  one  instance ,  ad- 
vised you  to  that  which  is  wrong,  but  that  I  have, 
on  all  occasions,  urged  you  to  "cease  to  do  evil 
and  learn  to  do  well."     I  have  frequently  spoken 
to  you,  in  no  measured  terms,  upon  the  subject  of 
the  holv  institution  of  marriage,  and  endeavored 
to  impress  you  with  the  importance  of  that  duty. 
It  is  an  old  saying,  and  a  true  one,  that  example 
speaks  louder  than  i)recept,  and  I  have  long  been 
convinced  that  if  we  would  have  others  practice 
what  we  recommend,  circumstances  being    equal, 
we  must  set   them  the  example.     And  now,  my 
friends.  I  intend  to  give  you  unequivocal  proof  that 
I  am  willing  in  this  respect  at  least  to  practice  what 
I  have  so  often  commended  to  you." 

Mr.    Lee   then    step])e(l   forward   and   led    Miss 

Anna   Maria   Pittman    to   the   altar,    where    Rev. 

Daniel  Lee.  according  to  the  ordinance  of  God, 

pronounced  them  husband  and  wife,  "for  better  or 

for  worse,  till  death  them  siiould  part."     A  pleased 

and  gratified  surprise  was  depicted  on  every  coun- 


AN  EPOCH  OF  HISTORY. 


\2g 


tenace,  for,  with  the  exception  of  Daniel  Lee,  not 
one  of  all  the  company  had  the  slightest  intimation 
that  this  union,  which  all  desired  to  see,  would  ever 
be  consummated.  Cyrus  Shepard  then  led  Miss 
Downing  forward  and  they  also  were  united  in 
marriage  by  Jason  Lee.  Then  Mr.  Charles  Roe 
and  Miss  Nancy,  an  Indian  maiden  of  the  Calla- 
pooia  tribe,  were  also  married,  after;  which  Mr. 
Lee  preached  a  sermon  of  great  power  and  pathos 
from  Numbers  x:  29,  "Come  then  with  us  and  we 
will  do  thee  good,  for  the  Lord  hath  spoken  good 
concerning  Israel."  All  were  greatly  moved,  and 
even  the  furrowed  cheeks  of  some  of  the  old  French 
mountaineers,  who  did  not  understand  the  lan- 
guage spoken  by  the  preacher,  were  washed  witii 
tears. 

Mr.  Lee  then  read  Ihe  Rules  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Society,  after  which  he  baptized  the 
young  man  just  married,  and  received  him  into  the 
church.  The  Lord's  Supper  was  then  administer- 
ed. It  was  a  thrilling  hour,  Mr.  Lee  says:  'T 
have  seldom  known  the  presence  of  the  Lord  more 
sensibly  and  powerfuly  manifested.  A  young  man 
from  New  York,  who  had  been  brought  up  a  Qua- 
ker, and  who  had  tor  some  months  given  good  evi- 
dence that  he  was  converted  and  had  been  for  some 
time  earnestly  praying  that  his  duty  in  regard  to 


.  Ill 


"rr 


I 


^1 


r 


130 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


baptism  might  be  made  plain  to  him,  came  forward 
and  begged  to  be  baptised  and  received  into  the 
church,  that  he  might  have  the  privilege  of  partak- 
ing of  the  Lord's  Supper."  This  was  Mr.  Webley 
Hauxhurst.  who  is  well  known  in  the  annals  "^ 
Oregon  Methodism  as  the  first  white  man  convei  - 
ed  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  the  first  name 
recorded  on  the  illustrious  list  of  those  uniting  with 
the  church  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  was  a  great 
honor,  and  Mr.  Hauxhurst  carried  it  w^orthily  until, 
fifty  years  thereafter,  he  passed  to  the  Church  Tri- 
umphant in  Heaven.  The  exercises  closed  with  a 
Love  Feast,  and.  in  addition  to  the  Christian  tes- 
timony given  by  every  member  of  the  church  in  the 
Willamette  Valley  at  that  time,  several  of  the  Can- 
adians, Roman  Catholics,  spoke  of  their  past  wick- 
edness penitently,  and  expressed  a  purpose  to  lead 
Christian  lives  and  save  their  souls. 

Undoubtedly  this  day  must  be  counted  as  the  date 
of  the  real  founding  of  the  Christian  Church  in  ils 
visible,  outAvard  form  in  Oregon.  The  Gospel  was 
preached,  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  celebra- 
ted, three  couples  were  married  according  to  the 
rites  of  the  church,  and  two  persons — Webley 
Hauxhurst  and  Charles  Roe — were  iev,t;'i\cd  and 
recorded  as  accepted  members  of  ihe  mvs  v;  dbody 
of  which  Christ  is  the  head.     These  were  all  first 


AN  EPOCH  OF  HISTORY. 


131 


f 


111 


\k 


acts  of  their  kind  in  Oregon,  and  it  would  undoubt- 
edly 1)6  historically  accurate  to  say  that  the  church 
was  first  organized  on  the  Pacific  Coast  on  the 
T6th  day  of  July,  1837.     That  day  dates  an  epoch. 


ii)i 


i 


\n 


I '' ' 


VIII. 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST. 


rii 


"He  that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed, 
shall  doubtless  return  again  with  rejoicing  bringing  his  sheaves 
with  him." — P.<5a.i,mist. 


(T^HREE  full  years  had  now  passed  since  Jason 
J  Lee  and  his  earliest  coadjutors  began  their 

missionary  work  in  Oregon.     Amidst  difficulties 
that  would  have  daunted  any  but  the  bravest  of 
men,  and  perils  that  would  have  frightened  any 
but  the  most  resolute  and  determined  from  the 
field,  they  had  crossed  the  continent,  selected  the 
site  of  their  stations,  built  houses,  fenced  and  culti- 
vated farms  and  thoroughly  entrenched  Christian- 
ity in  the  very  center  of  the  country.     They  had 
not  only  planted  a  Church  but  an  empire,  an  ever- 
lasting kingdom.     The  questions  they  had  been 
obliged  to   determine  were  of  the  broadest   and 
weightiest    character.     After   history    has    shown 
them  to  have  been  so  wisely  determined  that  these 
men.  and  especially  Mr.  Lee,  with  whom  was  the 
final   determination  in  all  cases,   takes  his  place 
among  the  wisest  master  builders  of  Methodism 
any  where  between  the  seas. 


wnff 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST.        133 

With  the  opening  of  1838  it  appeared  evident 
that  the  rapidly  changing  circumstances  of  the 
country  and  the  new  and  opening  fields  for  work 
t  mong  the  Indians  demanded  an  increase  of  labor- 
ers far  beyond  any  previous  reinforcement.  There 
was  also  in  all  minds  a  clear  conviction  that  some 
gr<;at  forward  movement  of  civilization  to  occupy 
Oregon  was  in  the  thoughts  and  on  the  tongues 
of  statesmen  and  diplomats.  Great  nations  were 
awakening  to  the  greatness  of  the  land  beyou'l 
the  mountains.  The  few  God-commissioned  men 
who  had  led  the  advance  of  civilization  and  relig- 
ion into  the  wilderness  were  feeling  stirring  within 
them  that  prophecy  with  which  God  touches  the 
souls  of  his  agents  when  He  has  for  them  mighty 
preparations  for  mighty  events  which  His  provi- 
dences "half  conceals,  half  discloses."  At  several 
meetings  of  the  missionaries  this  subject  had  awak- 
ened absorbing  interest.  It  was  ever  recurring  to 
them.  They  were  moved  to  a  common  conclu- 
sion. Mr.  Lee  himself  listened,  meditated,  com- 
muned with  God,  put  his  soul  in  accord  with  what 
might  prove  to  be  God's  purpose,  and  waited  for 
the  sure  call.  Almost  from  the  l)eginn:ng  of  the 
of  the  discussion,  which  followed  immediately  upon 
the  pregnant  events  recorded  in  the  last  chapter,  his 
coadjutors  were  unanimously  of  the  opinion  that  it 


Hliiil 


1 1: 


rr; 


f  I 


-J 


i       I 
I 


I. 


^34 


MISS  ION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


was  the  duty  of  Mr.  Lee  himself  to  return  to  the 
United  States  and  lay  the  work  of  the  mission  and 
the  condition  of  the  country  before  the  Missionary 
Board  and  the  Church  at  large,  and  ask  the  needed 
:aid.  There  were  then  in  the  field  with  him  all 
those  who  accompanied  him  to  the  coast  in  1834, 
namely,  Rev.  Daniel  Lee,  Cyrus  Shepard  and  P.  L 
Edwards,  and  in  addition  to  these  Rev.  David  Les- 
lie. Rev.  H.  K.  W.  Perkins.  Dr.  Elijah  White,  Mr. 
Alanson  Beers,  and  Mr.  W.  H.  Willson,  not  to 
mention  the  wives  of  these  men.  who.  in  devotion, 
intelligence  and  careful  judgment,  were  the  noble 
equals  of  their  husbands.  WHien  the  reader  re- 
membered who  these  men  and  women  were,  and 
calls  to  mind  the  long  and  nol)le  service  they  ren- 
dered to  Oregon  in  the  after  years,  he  will  feel  that 
such  advice  from  such  a  council  must  sound  in  the 
heart  of  such  a  man  as  Jason  Lee  like  the  voice  of 
God. 

Still  Mr.  Lee  did  not  respond  hastily  to  that  de- 
cision. He  was  here  in  charge  of  great  interests. 
A  great  church  had  set  him  a  sentinel  on  her  most 
advanced  outpost.  No  small  consideration  could 
justify  him  in  leaving  it  in  charge  of  another.  He 
was  a  man  who  was  always  married  to  his  work. 
His  devotion  to  it  was  more  steadfast  than  thai 
of  lover  to  his  affianced.     Besides  he  knew  the 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST. 


'J.y 


perils  of  that  "great  and  terrible  wilderness"  that 
mnst  be  crossed,  and  even  his  daring  spirit  did  not 
covet  the  months  of  weariness  and  exposure  need- 
ful for  the  journey.  He  says  in  his  journal:  "I  en- 
deavored to  persuade  myself  that  it  was  not  duty 
to  go,  and  tried  to  compose  ray  mind  to  represent 
the  circumstances  and  wants  of  the  mission  by 
writing."  But  the  conviction  grew  upon  his  mind 
that  the  judgment  of  his  co-laborers  indicated  a 
Providential  though  ii.nvelcome  duty.  That 
word,  duty,  could  by  him  be  responded  to  only  by 
obedience.  So  he  said:  "I  prepared  to  leave 
home  and  wife  and  friends  and  retrace  my  steps  to 
the  land  of  civilization."  One  can  hear  the  pa- 
thetic heart-beats  of  the  great  missionary  when  this 
hard  compulsion  of  duty  was  upon  him,  as  he  reads 
these  words. 

March  was  advancing,  and  but  a  few  days  re- 
mained for  preparations  for  tii.'  journey,  but  sucli 
men  have  always  staff  in  hand  and  sandals  on  their 
feet  when  their  names  are  called. 


r: 


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i 

1 

At  this  point  occurred  one  of  those  great  epi- 
sodes that  identify  and  reveal  the  potent  forces 
that  underlie  and  give  character  to  history.  With- 
out attention  to  these  such  forces  are  not  capable 
of  historic  description.     It  was  as  follows: 


!>    ' 


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MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y, 


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After  Mr.  Lee  had  determined  to  return  to  the 
United  States  the  American  citizens  resident  in  the 
Willamette  Valley,  and  such  of  the  Canadians  as 
desired  to  become  citizens,  met  together  in  a  "mass 
meeting,"  at  the  mission  to  formulate  a  memorial 
to  be  forwarded  by  his  hand,  "To  the  Honorable, 
the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America."  It  was  prepared  by 
Jason  Lee  and  P.  L.  Edwards,  doubtless  assisted 
by  David  Leslie.  It  was  a  paper  remarkable  for 
its  patriotism,  its  clear  and  long-sighted  statesman- 
ship, and  the  literary  ability  that  characterized  it. 
It  was  signed  by  every  male  member  of  the  mission 
at  the  Willamette  station,  ten  in  number;  by  sev- 
enteen American  citizens,  nearly  all  that  were  in 
the  country,  and  by  nine  French  Canadians  who 
desired  to  become  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
This  constituted  about  three-fourths  of  all  the 
white  male  inhabitants  of  the  Willamette  Valley 
at  that  time.  The  memorial  was  committed  to  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Lee  for  safe  carriage  to  Washington 
and  delivery  to  Congress.  So  intimately  were  the 
missionary  work  and  American  interests  in  Ore- 
gon interwoven  that  this  great  State  paper  must 
find  a  place  in  the  annals  of  missionary  history  on 
this  coast.     We  quote  as  follows: — 

"The  undersigned,  settlers  of  the  Columbia  Riv- 
er, beg  leave  to  represent  to  your  honorable  body 


i|    I 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST. 


137 


that  the  settlement,  begun  in  1832,  has  hitherto 
prospered  beyond  the  most  sanguine  expectations 
of  its  first  projectors.  The  products  of  our  fields 
have  amply  justified  the  most  flattering  descrip- 
tions of  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  while  the  facilities 
which  it  affords  for  raising  cattle  are,  perhaps,  ex- 
ceeded by  those  of  no  country  in  North  America. 
The  people  of  the  United  States,  we  believe,  are 
not  generally  apprised  of  the  extent  of  valuable 
country  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  A  large 
portion  of  the  territory  from  the  Columbia  River 
south  to  the  boundary  line  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Mexican  Republic,  and  extending 
from  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  about  250  or  300 
miles  to  the  interior,  is  either  well  supplied  with 
timber  or  adapted  to  pasturage  or  agriculture. 
The  fertile  valleys  of  the  Willamette  and  Umpqua 
are  varied  with  prairies  and  woodland,  and  intersec- 
ted by  abundant  lateral  streams,  presenting  facili- 
ties for  machinery.  Perhaps  no  country  of  the 
same  latitude  is  found  with  a  climate  so  mild. 
The  winter  rains,  it  is  true,  are  an  objection,  but 
they  are  generally  preferred  to  the  snows  and  in- 
tense cold  which  prevail  in  the  northern  parts  of 
the  United  States.  The  ground  is  seldom  covered 
with  snow,  nor  does  it  ever  remain  but  a  few  hours. 
We  need  hardly  allude  to  the  commercial  ad- 
vantages of  the  territory.  Its  happy  position  for 
trade  with  China,  India  and  the  western  coast  of 
America  will  be  readily  recognized.  The  growing 
importance,  however,  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific 
is  not  so  generally  known  and  appreciated.  As 
these  islands  progress  in  civilization  their  demands 
for  the  produce  of  more  northern  climates  will  in- 
crease. Nor  can  any  country  supply  them  with 
beef,  flour,  etc.,  on  terms  so  advantageous  as  this. 
A  very  successful  efifort  has  recently  been  made  at 


lar  m    ^wj  ' 


I3S 


MISS  ZONA  R  \ '  HIS  TOR ) '. 


r        1 


the  Sandwich  Islands  in  the  cultivation  of  coffee 
and  sugar  cane.  A  colony  here  will,  in  time, 
thence  easily  derive  these  articles  and  other  tropi- 
cal products  in  exchange  for  the  products  of  their 
own  labor.  We  have  briefly  alluded  to  the  natural 
resources  of  the  country,  and  to  its  external  rela- 
tions. They  are,  in  our  opinion,  stront^  induce- 
ments for  the  government  of  the  United  States  to 
take  formal  and  speedy  possession.  We  urge  this 
step  as  promising  to  the  general  interests  of  the 
nation.  But  the  advantages  it  may  confer  upon 
us  and  the  evils  it  may  avert  from  our  prosperity, 
are  incalculable. 

Our  social  intercourse  has  thus  far  been  prosecut- 
ed with  reference  to  the  feelings  of  dependence  on 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  to  their  moral  in- 
fluence .  Under  this  state  of  things  we  have  thus 
far  prospered,  but  we  cannot  hope  that  it  will  con- 
tinue. The  agricultural  and  other  resources  of  the 
country  cannot  fail  to  induce  emigration  and  com- 
merce. As  our  settlement  begins  to  draw  its  sup- 
plies through  other  channels,  the  feeling  of  depen- 
dence upon  the  fiudson's  Bay  Company,  which  we 
have  alluded  to  as  one  of  the  safeguards  of  our 
social  intercourse,  will  begin  to  diminish.  We  are 
anxious  when  we  imagme  what  will  be,  what  must 
be.  the  condition  of  so  mixed  a  community,  free 
from  all  legal  restraint,  and  superior  to  that  moral 
influence  which  has  hitherto  been  the  pledge  of 
our  safety. 

Our  interests  are  identical  with  those  of  the 
country  of  our  adoption.  We  flatter  ourselves 
that  we  are  the  germ  of  a  great  state,  and  are 
anxious  to  give  an  early  tone  to  the  moral  and  in- 
tellectual character  of  its  citizens.  We  are  fully 
aware,  too,  that  the  destines  of  our  posterity  will 
be  intimately  affected  by  the  character  of  those 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST.        ijg 

who  emigrate  to  this  country.  The  territory  musi 
populate.  'J'he  congress  of  the  United  States  musi 
say  by  whom.  The  natural  resourses  of  the  coun- 
try, with  a  well  judged  civil  code,  will  invite  a  good 
community.  But  a  good  connnunity  will  hardly 
emigrate  to  a  country  which  promises  no  protec- 
tion to  life  or  property.  Incpiiries  have  already 
been  submitted  to  some  of  us  for  information  oi 
the  country.  In  return  we  can  only  speak  of  :i 
country  highly  favored  by  nature.  We  can  boast 
of  no  civil  code.  We  can  promise  no  protection 
but  the  ultimate  result  of  self-defense.  By  whom 
then,  shall  our  country  be  populated?  By  the 
reckless  and  unprincipled  adventurer,  and  not  by 
the  hardy  and  enterprising  pioneer  of  the  west. 
By  the  Botany  Bay  refugee,  by  the  renegade  of 
civilization  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  by  the 
profligate,  deserted  seamen  from  Polytiesia,  and 
the  unprincipled  sharpers  from  South  America. 
Well  are  we  assured  tliat  it'  will  cost  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  more  to  reduce  ele- 
ments of  discord  to  social  order,  than  to  promote 
our  permanent  peace  and  prosperity  by  a  timely 
action  of  congress.  Nor  can  we  suppose  ;i:'r.  so 
vicious  a  ]:)opulation  could  be  relied  on  in  case  of 
a  rupture  l)etween  the  United  vStates  and  any  other 
power. 

Our  intercourse  with  the  natives  among  us, 
guided  by  the  same  influence  which  has  promoted 
harmony  among  ourselves,  has  been  generally  pa- 
cific. But  the  same  causes  which  will  interrupt 
harmony  among  ourselves,  will  also  interrupt  our 
friendly  relations  with  the  natives.  Ttis,  therefore, 
of  primary  importance,  both  to  them  and  to  us, 
that  the  government  should  take  energetic  meas- 
ures to  secure  the  execution  of  all  laws  affecting 
Indian  trade  and  the  intercourse  of  white  men  and 


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140 


MISSION  A  R  ) '  HISTOR  Y. 


Indians.  We  have  thus  briefly  shown  that  the  se- 
curity of  our  persons  and  our  property,  the  hopes 
and  destinies  of  our  children  are  involved  in  the  ob- 
jects of  our  petition.  We  do  not  presume  to  sug- 
gest the  manner  in  which  the  country  should  be 
occupied  by  the  government,  nor  the  extent  to 
which  our  settlement  should  be  encouraged.  We 
confide  in  the  wisdom  of  our  national  legislators, 
and  leave  the  subject  to  their  candid  deliberations: 
and  your  petitioners  will  ever  pray. 

J.  L.  WHITCOMB. 
.  ,     .  And  thirty-five  others. 

March  16,  1838. 

This  memorial  was  safely  taken  to  its  destina- 
tion by  Mr.  Lee  and  presented  to  the  Senate 
through  Senator  Linn  of  Missouri,  one  of  the 
ablest  and  most  steadfast  friends  that  Oregon  had 
in  Congress,  January  28,  1839.  Within  ten  days 
Mr.  Linn  presented  a  bill  establishing  a  Territory 
north  of  latitude  42°  and  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains to  be  called  Oregon  Territory;  authorizing 
the  erection  of  a  fort  on  the  Columbia  River,  and 
the  occupation  of  the  country  by  the  military  force 
of  the  United  States;  establishing  a  port  of  entry, 
and  requiring  that  the  country  should  then  be  held 
subject  to  the  revenue  laws  of  the  United  States; 
with  an  appropriation  of  $50,000  for  the  opening 
of  the  work. 

This  action,  led  by  the  Methodist  missionaries, 
and  wholly  dependent  on  their  influence  for  its  ef- 


' 


IJiE'S  RETURN  TO   THE  EAST.        141 

feet  on  Congress  and  the  public  mind  occurred 
when  there  were  only  two  male  missionaries  of  the 
American  Board  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
namely,  Dr.  Whitman  and  H.  H.  Spaulding.  They 
were  from  250  to  350  miles  in  the  interior,  entirely 
out  of  the  reach  of  what  little  American  sentiment 
and  settlement  there  were  in  tlie  country.  The 
Roman  Catholic  missionaries  had  not  yet  reached 
Oregon.  No  more  important  and  eminent  mile- 
stone was  ever  set  in  Oregon  history  than  was  set 
in  this  "Memorial."  Its  second  paragraph — that 
relating  to  trade  with  China,  India,  and  the  Is- 
lands of  the  Pacific  would  almost  seem  to  have 
been  written  under  prophetic  inspiration  in  1838 
which  is  finding  its  wonderful  fulfillment  in  1898. 
Can  it  be  that  the  men  who  framed  it  heard  the 
guns  of  Dewey  at  Manilla  through  the  sixty  years 
that  intervened?  Surely  there  was  a  wonderful 
prescience  in  the  minds  that  conceived  this  mas- 
terful memorial. 

When  all  the  arrangements  for  his  going  were 
completed  and  Mr.  Lee  was  about  to  depart  he 
reviews,  in  his  journal,  the  experiences  of  his  life 
to  some  extent,  and  especially  gives  some  very 
tender  and  touching  references  to  those  of  eight 
months  that  had  passed  since  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Pittman.     Though  so  utterly  isolated  from 


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MISS  J  ON AR  V  ins  TOR  Y. 


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the  great  world  of  social  life  they  were  supremely 
happy  in  each  others  society,  as  well  as  perfectly 
united  in  the  great  work  in  which  they  were  en- 
gaged. His  wife  bore  an  honored,  even  a  historic 
name,  in  Methodistism.  When  she  surrendered 
that  for  "Lee"  she  blended  the  history  of  central 
with  the  chivalry  of  both  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
Methodism.  Eastern  reminiscences,  when  Jesse 
Lee,  the  man  on  horseback,  became  the  a  vaunt 
courier  of  a  vital  faith  in  New  England  became 
renewed  and  present  history  when  Jason  Lee  re- 
peated, with  even  a  sublimer  daring,  the  consecra- 
tion of  the  earlier  in  that  of  the  later  Lee  in  the 
newer  New  England  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Well  did  she  deserve  the  honor  of  her  own,  and  the 
added  honor  of  that  greater  name  which  she  now 
wore  so  worthily.  When  it  became  fixed  that,  in 
his  mind,  imperative  duty  demanded  th^  separa- 
tion she  said: — "I  will  not  take  it  upon  me  to  ad- 
vise either  way,  and  I  will  not  put  myself  in  the 
way  of  the  pertormance  of  your  duty.  If  you  feel 
that  it  is  your  duty  to  go.  go,  for  I  did  not  marry 
you  to  hinder,  but  rather  to  aid  you  in  the  perfor- 
mance of  your  duty."  Undc;  the  circumstances 
braver  words  were  never  uttered.  Braver  became 
the  soul  that  received  them  because  of  the  bravery 
of  the  heart  that  prompted  them. 


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LEE'S  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST        143 

Mrs.  Lee  v/as  a  woman  of  fine  literary  attain- 
ments, as  well  as  of  high  natural  ability  and  deep 
Christian  devotion.  She  was  also  a  poet  of  n<D 
mean  taste  and  culture.  Among  all  the  noble  wo- 
men who,  in  the  various  missions,  came  to  Oregon 
before  1840,  she  was  undoubtedly  first  in  natural 
and  spiritual  adaptation  to  such  work  as  they  had 
all  undertaken.  Just  before  Mr.  Lee  said  the  fare- 
well to  her  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  March, 
she  put  into  his  hand  the  following  words  tenderly 
expressive  of  her  lo\e  and  also  of  her  devotion: 

"Must  my  dear  compauiun  leave  me, 
Sad  and  lonely  here  to  dwell? 
If  tis  duty  thus  that  calls  thcc. 
Shall  I  keep  thee?  no;  farewell. 
Though  my  heart  aches 
As  I  bid  thee  thus  farewell. 


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Go  then,  loved  one,  God  go  with  thee 
To  protect  and  save  from  harm: — 

Though  thou  dost  remove  far  from  me 
Thou  art  safe  beneath  His  arm. 
Go  in  peace  then. 

Let  thy  soul  feel  no  alarm. 

Go.  'hy  Savior  will  go  with  thee. 
All  thy  footsteps  to  attend; 
Though  you  may  feel  anxious  for  me. 
Thine  and  mine  he  will  defend; 
Fear  not  husband. 
God  thy  Father  is,  and  Friend. 


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144  MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 

Go  and  seek  for  fellow  laborers; 

Tell  them  that  the  field  is  white; 
God  will  show  them  gracious  favors 
While  they  teach  the  sons  of  night. 
Bid  them  hasten 
Here  to  bring  the  gospel  light. 

Though  thy  journey  may  seem  dreary 
While  removed  from  her  you  love; 

Though  you  often  may  be  weary, 
Look  for  comfort  from  above. 
God  will  bless  you, 

And  your  journey  prosperous  prove. 

Farewell  husband!  while  you  leave  me 
Tears  of  sorrow  oft  will  flow; 

Day  and  night  will  I  pray  for  thee 
While  through  dangers  you  may  go. 
Oh  remember 

Her  who  loves  you  much.     Adieu. 

Anna  Maria  Lee. 
Jason  Lee." 

Ruskin  has  said,  "No  man's  armor  is  thorough- 
ly braced  to  his  heart  unless  a  woman's  hand  has 
braced  it."  Such  an  armor  as  Jason  Lee  wore, 
braced  of  such  a  heroine  as  the  one  who  wrote  these 
lines,  must  have  made  that  soldier  of  the  cross 
thrice  a  hero  as  he  went  forth  on  his  God-directed 
mission. 

The  journey  eastward  which  Mr.  Lee  had  now 
undertaken  was  over  the  same  trail,  substantially, 
that  he  had  traveled  westward  four  years  before. 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST.       145 

To  give  any  circumstantial  account  of  the  journey 
would  therefore  be  unnecessary.  A  few  of  its  in- 
cidents, as  they  stand  in  some  way  connected  with 
his  work,  and  hence  with  the  missionary  history 
of  the  Northwest,  may  be  noted. 

From  the  mission  station  on  the  Willamette  to 
the  station  of  Daniel  Lee  and  H.  K.  W.  Perkins 
at  Wascopam,  now  known  as  "The  Dalles,"  on  the 
Columbia  river  was  about  150  miles.  This  dis- 
tance was  made  in  canoes;  first  down  the  Willam- 
ette fifty  miles  and  then  up  the  Columbia  one  hun- 
dred. This  took  the  travelers  entirely  through  the 
great  timber  belt  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  to  the 
open  country  eastward  of  them.  Though  now  so 
easily  passed,  it  was  then  always  attended  with 
difficulty,  not  to  say  peril.  The  winds  of  the  Col- 
umbia are  often  furious,  and  a  canoe  is  driven  as 
a  feather  before  them.  Two  long  portages  were  to 
be  made,  involving  the  labor  of  carrying  both 
canoes  and  lading  from  one  to  two  miles  by  land. 
The  Indians  were  not  all  or  always  to  be  trusted. 
They  were  passing,  also,  the  stormiest  belt  of  the 
Pacific  coast,  where  the  tall  mountains  gathered 
around  their  sides  the  darkest  of  the  clouds  and 
wrung  out  of  them  snow  and  rain  in  white  sheets 
or  driving  torrents.  All  these  incidents  they  en- 
countered, but  on  the  7th  of  March  reached  Was- 


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146 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


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copam  in  safety,  and  on  the  8th,  which  was  Sun- 
day, Mr.  Lee  preached  to  more  than  an  hundred 
Indians  in  the  "Chinook  Jargon"  which  was  then 
interpreted  first  into  the  Klickitat  and  then  into 
the  Nez  Perce  tongue. 

Two  days  spent  in  the  counsel  and  encourage- 
ment of  the  missionaries  at  this  station  and  in  pre- 
parations for  the  further  journey,  he  left  the  mis- 
sion on  horseback  for  Walla  Walla,  a  distance  of 
150  miles,  reaching  that  place  on  the  evening  of 
the  thirteenth,  and  on  the  next  day  reached  Waii- 
letpu,  the  mission  station  of  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman, 
of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  Board.  He  paused  here  a 
few  days  to  investigate  the  character  and  work  of 
this  mission,  as  well  as  to  visit  that  of  Rev.  H.  H. 
Spaulding,  of  the  same  Board  at  Lapwai,  one  hun- 
dred miles  to  the  northeast. 

At  Waiiletpu  the  two  men,  Mr.  Lee  and  Dr. 
Marcus  Whitman,  then  acting,  and  destined  in  the 
early  future  to  act  great  historic  parts  in  early  Or- 
egon history,  met  for  the  first  time.  In  many  re- 
spects they  were  singularly  alike;  brave,  determin- 
aed,  self-possessed,  sagacious.  Mr.  T.ee  had  pre- 
ceeded  Dr.  Whitman  across  the  continent  by  two 
years,  and  so  was  the  true  pioneer  of  Christianity 
and  civilization.  Dr.  Whitman  had  gone  as  far 
westward  as  Green  River  in  1835,  and  then  return- 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST        14J 

ed  to  the  east  for  other  helpers  in  the  work  he  in- 
tended to  begin  the  following  year.  In  1836  him- 
self, with  his  newly  wedded  wife,  and  Rev.  H.  H. 
Spaulding  and  his  wife,  with  W.  H.  Gray,  a  young 
unmarried  man,  crossed  the  continent  on  the  trail 
Mr.  Lee  and  his  co-laborers  had  traveled  in  1834 
and  established  themselves,  as  we  have  seen,  at 
Waiiletpu  and  Lapwai.  While  Dr.  Whitman  and 
Mr.  Spaulding  were  on  the  way  overland  with  their 
wives,  in  answer  to  the  call  of  Mr.  Lee  several  de- 
voted women  were  passing  around  Cape  Horn  to 
Hnk  their  destiny  with  that  of  their  manly  brothers 
of  the  Methodist  Missions  in  the  work  of  Oregon's 
redemption.  The  place  of  their  meeting  had  its 
significance.  As  he  was  enteringthecountryin  1834 
Mr.  Lee  had  debated  whether  to  occupy  the  coun- 
try nearer  the  seaboard  with  his  mission,  or  to  es- 
tablish it  here  on  this  very  ground.  His  states- 
manlike judgment  had  finally  and  rightfully  de- 
cided for  the  former,  thus  entrenching  his  church 
in  the  center  of  power  before  the  people  throng- 
ed around  them.  Dr.  Whitman  took  the  latter, 
not  so  much  from  choice  perhaps  as  from  the  ne- 
cessity forced  upon  him  by  tiie  earlier  occupancy 
of  the  former  by  Mr.  Lee.  There  was  a  very  ro- 
mance in  the  meeting  of  these  two  rare  men  here 
and  thus,  and  a  thrilling  interest  in  their  fellowship 


If 


h:]  ^ 


\'\ 


\  r 


m  T^ 


i 


14S 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


as  they  surveyed  the  broad  empire  of  darkness  that 
they,  almost  alone,  had  come  to  conquer.  Would 
either  or  both  see  the  banners  of  victory?  They 
could  ask,  but  providence  concealed  in  mercy  the 
bitterness  and  struggles  and  blood  of  the  battle, 
and  gave  them  only  to  see,  by  faith,  somewhere 
and  sometime,  the  certain  victory.  A  little  over 
two  years  this  mission  had  been  established,  and 
being,  as  it  was,  a  legitimate  outgrowth  of  the 
same  causes  that  l)rought  Mr.  Lee  and  his  coad- 
jutors to  Oregon,  an  account  of  it,  and  its  tragic 
close,  will  be  given  elsewhere. 

In  visiting  this  mission  and  Mr.  Spaulding's 
three  weeks  were  spent,  and  on  the  7th  day  of  April 
he  was  prepared  to  leave  Walla  Walla,  and  on  the 
1 2th  finally  took  leave  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman 
and  Mr.  Spaulding,  kneeling  on  the  bank  of  a 
small  stream  receiving  their  benedictions  and  en- 
couraged by  their  prayers.  One  is  reminded  of 
that  prayer  by  the  sea  shore  when  Paul  took  leave 
of  the  elders  of  Ephesus,  "and  they  fell  on  his  neck 
and  kissed  him,  sorrowing  most  of  all  for  the 
words  he  had  spoken  that  they  should  see  his  face 
no  more."  Thus  Christianity  re-enacts  its  most 
thrilling  deeds  forever. 

Mr.  Lee  turned  "pensively"  away  from  this  lone 
altar  of  prayer,  to  look  up  the  near  heights  of  the 


LEBS  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST.       149 

Blue  mountains,  which  were  passed  in  two  days 
march,  and  they  reached  Grande  Ronde  valley, 
then  a  wonder  of  uncultured  beauty,  now  a  greater 
wonder  of  cultivated  lovehness. 

The  usual  incidents  of  pioneer  journeying  only 
occured  until  the  Sabbath  the  3rd  of  June,  when 
they  were  encamped  on  Snake  River,  a  few  miles 
above  Fort  Boise,  where  Mr.  Lee  preached  first  in 
English,  then  again  in  French,  and  a  third  time  in 
English,  and  baptized  the  son  of  Mr.  Thomas 
McKay,  Donald.  In  all  his  journey  thus  was 
he  "sowing  beside  all  waters."  The  integrity 
of  his  purpose,  and  the  bravery  with  which  he  could 
and  did  stand  up  for  right  when  surrounded  by 
wrong  was  evidenced  the  very  next  Sabbath,  when 
without  apparent  necessity  the  captain  of  the  com- 
pany with  which  he  traveled  gave  orders  to  strike 
the  tents  and  move  forward.  His  expostulations 
and  reproofs  were  sharp  and  pointed.  He  told  the 
company  that  they  had  sufficient  evidence  that 
they  made  during  the  week,  as  many  miles  by  rest- 
ing on  the  Sabbath  as  by  traveling.  That  their 
"excuse  was  a  paltry  one,  and  insufificient  to  justi- 
fy the  wanton  wounding  of  the  feelings  of  their 
friends,  and  certainly  would  not  suf^ce  at  the  bar 
of  God."  Having  said  this  he  went  to  his  tent  "and 
while  pouring  out  his  complaint  before  God,  heard 
the  order  given  not  to  move  camp." 


m 


L'iiuciiBa  1 1 


*^  'm 

1   'I  ;  i 

r   mf 


f  '1 


^JO 


MISSIONAR  Y  HIS  TOR ) ' 


ill 


:i!iti-    I 


:    ) 


■'I  i 


To  those  ac{|uainted  with  the  utter  irreligion  of 
the  mountain  men  of  1838  the  above  facts  will 
very  strikingly  evince  the  moral  power  of  Mr.  Lee's 
mind  over  all  classes  with  which  he  associated. 

As  on  the  outward  journey  four  years  before, 
they  depended  for  food  on  the  certainness  of  their 
aim  with  the  rifle.  They  had  just  entered  the  range 
of  the  buffalo  and  antelope,  and  for  a  time  fared 
sumptuously  every  day,  an  experience  by  no  means 
constant  with  them.  He  records  some  of  his  own 
personal  participations  in  the  chase  of  the  buffalo, 
a  thing  once  so  common,  now  unknown  on  the 
plains  of  Snake  River.  He  proved  himself  the  peer 
of  trained  huntsmen  in  the  swift  pursuit  and  suc- 
cessful onslaught. 

On  the  1 6th  of  June  the}-  reached  Fort  Hall, 
where  they  remained  until  the  21st.  Here  on  his 
outward  journey  he  had  preached  the  first  sermon 
ever  heard  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
again  the  company  and  the  people  of  the  Fort 
were  called  together,  and  Mr.  Lee  "gave  one  faith- 
ful warning  to  these  people,  many  of  whom  had 
never  heard  a  sermon  before,  and  some  of  whom 
would  never  hear  another."  It  was  an  hour  of 
great  darkness,  this,  in  which  Mr.  Lee  lifted  thus  up 
the  Light  of  the  world.  The  great  mountain  shad- 
ows were  but  faint  symbols  of  the  darker  shadows 
of  sin  that  lay  on  the  hearts  of  those  to  whom  he 
spake. 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO   THE  EAST.        151 

•'■  On  the  28th  of  June  the  company  encamped  011 
the  water  of  Bear  River,  and  Mr.  Lee  made  a  rec- 
ord in  his  journal  which  so  opens  his  heart  and  un- 
folds the  promptings  of  his  life  that  it  is  fitting  it 
should  be  transcribed  on  this  page: — 

"This  day  I  am  35  years  of  age.  I  camiot  but 
reflect  that  1  have  now  arrived  at  what  is  called 
the  meridian  of  life,  and  that  my  sun  is  beginning 
to  decline  toward  the  western  horizon.  Thirty-five 
years,  and  how  little  have  1  done  to  benefit  man- 
kind! How  long  shall  I  be  permitted  to  labor?  Can 
I  expect  to  see  as  many  more  years?  No!  My  sun 
is  in  all  probability  several  degrees  beyond  the  me- 
ridian already,  and  a  few  more  years,  perhaps  days, 
may  find  me  numbered  with  the  silent  sleepers  of 
the  valley.  Well,  be  it  so;  but  let  me  have  grace 
to  improve  my  remaining  days,  be  they  many  or 
few,  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  1  need  have  no  uneas- 
iness about  it.  The  Judge  of  all  the  earth  w'll  do 
right." 

There  speaks  the  Christian  and  the  apostle. 
The  life  and  spirit  of  him  who  would  not  build  on 
another's  foundation  were  renewed  in  the  19th  cen- 
tury and  in  the  wilds  of  America. 

On  the  next  day  Mr.  Lee  received  from  Capt. 
McKay  his  three  sons  to  be  taken  to  the  United 
States  to  study  for  some  years. 

This  is  an  incident  that  has  received  several  false 
settings  in  stories  and  romances  that  have  been 
miscalled  history.  It  belongs  to  the  conscientiou--; 
historian    to   state    facts,    and    to   give   honor   to 


!i    ■ 


L    ' 


152 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


whom  honor  is  due.     The  fact  is,  briefly  as  it  can 
well  be  stated,  this:  - 

When  Mr.  Lee  first  crossed  the  continent  in 
1834,  he  and  his  companions  made  the  most  of 
their  journey  from  Fort  Hall  in  company  with  Mr. 
McKay  and  his  band  of  hunters.  They  became 
well  acquainted,  and  were  intimate  friends.  On  ar- 
riving at  Vancouver,  Mr.  Lee  almost  immediately 
visited  Mr.  McKay's  place  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Willamette,  a  few  miles  above  where  that  river 
enters  the  Columbia.  They  remained  intimate 
friends,  and  Mr.  Lee  won  the  utmost  confidence  of 
Mr.  McKay,  so  that,  when  he  decided  in  the  spring 
of  1838,  to  return  to  the  States  for  his  reinforce- 
ments, he  again  traveled  eastward  in  Mr.  McKay's 
campany,  and,  as  noted  just  above,  baptised  his  in- 
fant son,  Donald,  and  here,  on  Bear  River,  as  Mr. 
McKay  was  to  turn  away  southward  on  a  hunt- 
ing expedition  for  the  summer,  he  took  charge  of 
the  three  sons  of  the  old  mountaineer,  as  had  been 
agreed  upon  as  soon  as  it  was  known  that  Mr.  Lee 
was  to  return  to  the  east.  Mr.  Lee's  entrv  in  his 
journal,  under  date  of  June  29,  1838,  is: — 

''Mr.  McKay,  accompanied  us  to  Bear  River, 
dined  with  us,  and  took  his  leave  of  us  and  his 
three  sons  who  are  going  to  the  United  States  to 
study  for  some  years  under  my  care." 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO   THE  EAST        /jj 

Mr.  Lee  took  them  to  New  York,  made  an  ar- 
rangenvnt  with  the  Missionary  Board  of  the  M.  E. 
Church  to  advance  the  pay  for  their  schooling, 
himself  becoming  responsible  in  behalf  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Kay for  its  repayment  to  the  Board,  and  then  en- 
tered them  in  the  Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbra- 
ham,  Massachusetts,  where  he  himself  had  been 
educated  under  Dr.  Fisk.  At  least  one  of  them, 
the  late  Dr.  W.  C.  McKay,  entered  the  Wesleyan 
University  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  afterwards 
under  the  same  arrangement,  in  accordance  with 
Mr.  Lee's  engagement  with  Mr.  McKay.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  general  statement.  I  find  Mr.  Lee 
recording  in  his  journal,  under  date  of  June  27, 
1843,  the  following: — 

"I  improved  the  time  in  writing  to  Mr.  T.  Mc- 
Kay, who,  having  been  pressed  for  means,  lias  neg- 
lected to  pay  the  money  our  Missionary  Board  paid 
for  the  education  of  his  sons.  If  that  money  is  not 
paid  I  shall  feel  that  I  have  been  shamefully  abused 
in  that  business." 

The  last  sentence  refers  to  the  fact  that  Mr.  Lee 
himself  was  responsible  to  the  Board  for  its  pay- 
ment. It  is  proper  to  say  that  Mr.  McKay  did 
subsequently  pay  it. 

The  need  of  this  detailed  statement  of  this  inci- 
dent is  in  the  fact  that  whatever  credit  there  is  in 
the  thing  done,  and  it  was  certainly  a  creditable 


|i' 


1H'  'r 


\\l 


i"\ 


n 


154 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


and  magnanimous  one,  has  been  by  many  writers  o[ 
''romance"  rather  than  history,  persistently  misap- 
propriated to  the  honor  of  Dr.  Whitman,  when,  in 
fact,  neither  Dr.  Whitman  nor  the  American 
Board  had  anything  to  do  with  it. '  Many  about 
the  old  Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbraham,  and  the 
University  at  Middletown  have  called  to  mind  the 
intelligent  half-caste,  Wm.  C.  McKay,  who  be- 
came an  edcuated  physician,  and  an  important  per- 
sonal force  in  the  history  of  Oregon  from  the  time 
of  his  return  as  an  educated  American  to  his  native 
place  until  his  death  as  an  honored  citizen  in  1894. 
It  was  Mr.  Lee's  mftuence  that  led  Mr.  McKay  at 
the  first  to  send  his  sons  to  an  American  school 
instead  of  to  an  English  or  Canadian.  It  was  an 
important  act,  as  showing  the  commanding  in- 
fluence that  Mr.  Lee  had  gained  over  one  of  the 
most  forceful  elements  of  the  mixed  society  of  Ore- 
gon at  that  time;  as  Mr.  McKay  was  very  intimate- 
ly associated  with  Dr.  McLoughlin,  the  ruling  pow- 
ex  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  on  the  Pacific 
C last. 

The  company  with  which  Mr.  Lee  had  traveled 
up  to  this  time  expected  to  find  the  "Rendezvous" 
of  the  fur  traders  of  the  mountains  on  Horse  Creek. 
It  was  not  there,  and  all  his  companions  were  about 
to  leave  him  .     He  had  learned  that  it  was  to  be 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO   THE  EAST.        155 

held  on  the  Po  Po  Agio,  200  miles  further  on 
through  the  most  dangerous  and  difficult  portion 
of  the  mountains.  It  was  so  difficult  and  danger- 
ous that  even  old  mountaineers  resolved  not  to 
venture.  But  Mr.  Lee  was  on  a  mission  of  duty 
that  took  in  all  the  perils  of  the  way  to  reach  it. 
He  startled  the  company  by  telling  them  that  he 
should  go  on,  even  if  he  had  to  go  alone.  This  re- 
solve led  others  to  decide,  and  finally  nearly  the 
whole  company  attended  him,  and  they  reached 
Rendezvous  on  the  Sth  of  July.  The  great  camp 
was  on  an  island  in  the  Po  Po  Agio,  a  branch  of 
Wind  River,  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountains, 
where  the  American  companies  and  the  indepen- 
dent traders  had  met  for  the  last  Rendezvous  they 
ever  held  in  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

He  met  here  "five  male  and  four  female  mission- 
aries of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  going  to  reinforce  the 
small  band  on  the  banks  of  the  Columbia."  They 
joined  in  a  prayer  meeting  here  in  the  mountains, 
more  than  a  thousand  miles  from  church  or  congre- 
gation of  worshipers. 

A  few  days  of  rest,  filled  nevertheless  with  prep- 
arations for  further  journeying,  and  in  writing  let- 
ters to  absent  friends,  especially  to  one,  whose  eye, 
alas!  would  never  read  another  line  of  human  trac- 
ing, with  a  tear  in  his  eye,  and  a  sadness  in  his 


I     ill 

Is   iff 


!i 


I    \ 


II 


:  I  ■■;( 


,M  111 


m\ 


^56 


MISSION  A  R  V  HISTORY. 


heart  for  which  he  could  not  account,  he  joined  the 
company  bound  eastward,  and  resumed  his  journey 
down  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountains.  No  spe- 
cial incident  marked  the  way,and  on  the istof Sep- 
tember he  reached  the  Shawnee  mission  near  West- 
port,  Missouri,  then  under  the  superintendence  of 
Rev.  Thomas  Johnson.  He  began  to  think  the 
trials  of  his  way  were  passed.  Late  at  night,  how- 
ever, after  he  had  retired  to  his  room,  and  while  he 
was  offering  up  his  evening  devotions,  his  door  was 
unexpectedly  alarmed.  On  opening  it  an  unknown 
messenger  put  into  his  hands  a  package  of  letters 
and  immediately  retired.  They  were  from  Ore- 
gon, and  one  bore  a  black  seal,  a  fearful  omen  to 
his  eye.  He  broke  it  with  a  trembling  hand  only 
to  read  in  the  first  line  that  his  Anna  Maria  and 
her  infant  son  were  numbered  with  the  dead.  All 
the  light  seemed  to  go  out  of  his  life  in  a  moment. 
It  seemed  only  shadow;  dark,  unrelieved,  blinding 
shadow  all  around.  The  griefs  of  such  great  na- 
tures are  terrible.  As  in  their  work  and  their  joy 
they  are  beyond  contemporary  recognition  and 
sympathy,  so  in  their  sorrows  they  are  alone.  This 
had  come  upon  him  when  he  was  hterally  alone; 
alone  with  God.  The  night  was-  spent  most  mourn- 
fully; but  in  its  darkness  the  strong  soul  had  re- 
ceived greater  strength  from  its  wrestling  with  self 


LEBS  RETURN  TO  THE  EAST        157 

and  sorrow  and  God.  In  the  morning  his  dark 
brow  had  a  deeper  shade,  his  eye  told  a  tale  of 
nightly  weeping,  but  his  calmed  spirit  breathed  out 
its  wealth  of  trust.  For  the  few  days  he  remained 
at  this  place  his  meek,  chastened  spirituality,  his 
lofty  faith  in  God,  his  maniy  bearing  in  his  sorrows, 
won  all  minds,  and  all  gave  him  the  throne  of  the 
good,  great  man  in  their  hearts. 

At  'his  point  Jc  seems  proper  that  we  leave  Mr. 
Lee  in  his  lonehness  and  bereavement  and  return- 
ing to  his  distt'.nt,  and  now  even  more  dearly  be- 
loved Oregon,  resume  the  thread  of  history  there. 


•i 


If  i^--^ 


IX. 


THE  WORK  IN  OREGON.  . 

"For  unto  you  is  given  in  the  behalf  of  Christ,  not  only 
to  believe  on  him,  but  also  to  suffer  for  his  sake." 

— Paul 

THOUGH  Mr.  Lee  was  himself  absent  from 
Oregon,  his  work  there  was  still  going  on. 
The  example  of  his  personal  consecration  had  in- 
spired those  who  were  associated  with  him  there, 
and  they  were  resolved  that  the  interests  he  had 
left  in  their  hands  should  not  suffer  in  the  absence 
of  the  master.  He  had  committed  the  mission  to 
the  superintendency  of  Rev.  David  Leslie  during 
his  absence.  In  every  way  the  choice  was  a  suita- 
ble one.  Mr.  Leslie  was  a  man  of  good  ability,  of 
considerable  culture,  of  clear  judgment,  of  great 
stability  of  character,  and  had  had  considerable  ex- 
perience as  a  pastor  in  charge  of  important  fields 
in  New  England  before  his  appointment  as  mission- 
ary to  Oregon.  The  carefulness  of  his  supervision 
of  every  interest  committed  to  him  thoroughly 
vindicated  the  sagacity  of  Mr.  Lee  in  his  selection 
for  that  important  post. 

Mr.  Lee  had  started  eastward  early  in  the  spring. 
The  missionaries  remaining  on  the  banks  of  the 


i: 


THE  WORK  IN  OREGON. 


159 


Willamette  and  at  The  Dalles  steadily  and  success- 
fully pursued  their  labors  in  teaching  the  Indian 
children  in  the  schools,  and  in  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel to  the  adults  as  they  were  able  to  gain  access 
to  them  in  their  camps  and  on  the  trail.  Every 
thing  seemed  full  of  promise  for  the  future  of  the 
mission.  But  amidst  these  promising  labors  the 
darkness  of  a  great  sorrow  sabled  the  skies  of  June. 
It  came  as  a  night  in  the  midst  of  a  day — as  De- 
cember frosts  amid  the  vernal  blossoms.  Mrs. 
Lee  and  her  infant  son  of  only  a  few  days'  age,  were 
laid  together  in  one  grave  by  that  little  band  of 
sisters  and  brothers  while  Mr.  Lee  was  yet  ia  the 
Rocky  Mountains  pursuing  his  way  in  quest  of 
other  workers  in  the  field  thus  suddenly  bereft  of 
one  of  the  noblest  missionaries  that  ever  tried  to 
lead  heathen  souls  to  God.  Short  as  was  her  mis  • 
sionary  career,  and  as  suddenly  ended,  it  was  long 
enough  to  date  an  era  in  Oregon  history,  and  her 
death  was  romantic  enough  to  surround  her  name 
with  an  interest  that  can  never  surround  another. 
On  a  green  oak  knoll,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  cap- 
ital of  Oregon,  in  what  is  known  as  the  "Lee  Mis- 
sion Cemetery,"  stands  a  marble  slab,  now  grayed 
by  the  battering  storms  of  more  than  sixty  winters, 
on  which  is  chiseled  this  inscription: 


S'ljill'ill. 

'in 


Miiiji 


/  'pi 


m 


31  if  ■ 


i!  ■■' 


\%\ 


ff[r  !^--T— 


i6o 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


Eitt 


Beneath  this  Sod 

The  first  ever  broken  in  Oregon 

For  the  reception  of  a 

White  Mother  and  Child 

Lie  the  remains 

''■''■'■•  '..''  OF 

ANNA  MARIA  PITTMAN 

WIFE  OF 

REV.  JASON  LEE, 

AND  HER  INFANT  SON, 

She  sailed  from  New  York  in  July,  1836: 

Landed  in  Oregon,  June,  1837: 

Was  married  July  16,  1837,  - 

AND  DIED 

June  26,  1838. 
,  Aged  35  years. 

This  is  a  brief  record,  but  what  a  record  it  is. 
No  more  noble,  accompHshed  and  devoted  mis- 
sionary of  the  Cross  ever  entered  on  the  work  of 
evangeUzation  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Her  under- 
standing was  naturally  clear,  and  her  literary  at- 
tainments of  most  respectable  order.  Her  piety 
was  uniform,  and  her  courage  resplendent.  Her 
ideals  of  life,  while  lofty,  were  not  visionary.  Prov- 
idence gave  her  in  many  respects  first  historic  place 
among  her  many  noble  sisters  who  count  it  honor 
to  themselves  to  have  been  permitted  to  stand  sec- 
ond to  her.  She  was  the  first  American  woman 
to  be  married  to  an  American  man  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  thus  consecrating  a  great  land 
that  had  been  destitute  of  the  very  idea  of  civil- 
ized home-life  for  all  its  ages,  to  the  sacredness  of 


m  \ 


THE  WORK  IN  OREGON. 


i6i 


the  home-altar  and  the  home-love.  Then,  as 
though  providence  meant  forever  to  keep  her  name 
without  a  rival  in  the  sacred  home-thought  of  the 
land  she.  had  thus  consecrated,  she  was  given  the 
distinction  of  being  the  first  American  wife  and  the 
first  American  mother  in  all  that  vast  land  to  con- 
secrate the  dust  of  the  sepulchre  to  the  blessed 
hope  of  the  "Resurrection  of  the  Just."  Thus  God 
crowned  her  with  the  laurels  of  everlasting  remem- 
brance in  the  field  of  gracious  recognition  where 
there  can  be  no  competition,  and  we  only  "think 
God's  thoughts  after  him"  when  we  write  her  thus 
first  of  all  the  resplendent  sisterhood  of  missionary 
life  in  Oregon  who  wrought  with  her  and  after  her 
for  the  same  Christian  ends. 

"God  buries  His  workmen  but  carries  on  His 
work."  There  could  have  been  no  sadder  group 
of  Christian  workers  than  the  little  band  of  mis- 
sionaries on  the  banks  of  the  Willamette  that  bore 
the  precious  remains  of  Mrs.  Lee  to  her  burial  that 
sunny  day  in  June.  Nor  was  there  ever  a  more 
devoted  and  faithful  one.  While  yet  their  stream- 
ing eyes  were  looking  at  the  departing  chariot  of 
her  ascension  they  took  up  the  work  her  nerveless 
hands  had  dropped  and  went  forward  to  complete 
the  task  she  had  so  well  begun.  With  an  earnest 
prayer  for  the  support  and  guidance  of  the  far  dis- 


^. 


0. 


( 

Ml 

i 

1  1    ' ' ' 

I 

V    ;, ; 

1      ! 

\        ! 

'.        1 

1        : 

M,!   ' 

i 

ii  a. 


162 


MISSION  A  R } "  H/S  TOR  K 


tant  hero  of  this  glorified  heroine,  they  turned  to 
their  accumulated  task. 

The  reader  has  noted  in  the  course  of  the  pre- 
ceeding  narrative  that,  besides  the  first  mission  lo- 
cated on  the  banks  of  the  Willamette,  only  one 
more  had  been  established  up  to  this  time  the 
one  at  Wascopam,  which  Mr.  Lee  had  visited  on 
his  way  to  the  east.  As  this  was  undoubtedly  the 
most  successful  of  all  the  Indian  missions  establish- 
ed under  Mr.  Lee's  superintendency,  it  appears 
proper  to  give  a  somewhat  distinct  and  connected 
history  of  it. 

Its  location  removed  it  al.nost  entirely  from  con- 
tact with  such  straggling  whites  as  were  already 
beginning  to  stray  over  the  country  of  the  Wil- 
lamette, and  hence  they  felt  less  of  the  degrading 
influence  that  resulted  from  association  with  those 
who  "feared  not  God  nor  regarded  man,"  but  cared 
only  to  gratify  their  own  vicious  appetites  and  bru- 
tal passions.     And,  besides,  the  Indians  native  to 

the  region  east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  were  of 
a  higher  order  of  intellectual  life,  with  a  stronger 
physical  manhood,  than  those  of  the  region  nearer 
the  coast.  This  gave  ihe  mission,  for  a  few  years, 
the  most  open  and  fairest  field  in  which  to  demon- 
strate the  power  of  Christianity  over  humanity  in 
its  most  uninstructed  forms.  Let  us  see  how  it 
vindicated  its  gracious  pretensions. 


THE  WORK  IN  OREGON. 


^63 


Thework  of  Messrs.  Leeand Perkins  in  establish- 
ing themselves  in  the  place  selected  was  very  ardu- 
ous. They  had  reached  the  ground  on  the  22d  of 
March,  1838.  About  the  ist  of  April  a  house  was 
begun.  They  had  no  help  but  the  Indians,  who 
assisted  in  cutting  the  logs  of  which  it  was  to  be 
built,  and  bringing  them  to  the  spot.  Before 
April  was  past  Mr.  Perkins  went  to  the  Willamette 
station  for  his  wife,  and  returned  with  her  on  the 
5th  day  of  May.  The  summer  required  several 
trips  to  Vancouver  and  the  Willamette  for  supplies, 
all  of  which  were  made  by  the  laborious  and  dan- 
gerous mode  of  canoeing.  One  was  made  to  Walla 
Walla  by  land  to  obtain  horses,  and  another  to  Wil- 
lamette by  land  over  a  most  intricate  and  difficult 
mountain  trail,  passing  to  the  north  of  Mount 
Hood  through  near  a  hundred  miles  of  the  densest 
forest  on  the  continent,  for  cattle  for  the  mission. 
The  incidents  of  some  of  these  trips  were  romantic 
enough  to  furnish  suitable  material  for  stories  such 
as  Bonneville  and  Astoria,  if  they  had  an  Irving  to 
weave  them  into  literature,  but  our  space  does  not 
permit  us  to  recount  them. 

In  the  month  of  August  the  lonely  missionaries 
at  The  Dalles  were  cheered  by  the  arrival  of  Rev. 
David  Leslie,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  then 
in   charge  of  the   Oregon   Mission,   accompanied 


i    \ 


I  n 


.%v 


164 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


with  Mrs.  White  and  her  babe,  the  first  white  male 
child  born  in  Oregon.  When  this  cheering  visit 
of  a  few  days  was  over  they  re-embarked  in  their 
canoe  for  the  Willamette.  They  had  to  pass  the 
dangerous  rapids  of  the  Cascades.  As  they  were 
passing  the  lower  rapids  they  ran  among  the  break- 
ers; their  canoe  filled  and  was  instantly  capsized, 
plunging  them  all  into  the  lashed  and  foaming 
river.  Mr.  Leslie,  though  unable  to  swim,  seized 
hold  of  Mrs.  White  with  one  hand  and  threw  h's 
other  arm  over  the  canoe.  An  Indian  on  the  other 
side  of  the  canoe  seized  the  hand  thrown  ovier  it, 
and  in  this  way  they  floated  through  the  rapids 
and  down  the  river  a  mile  when  they  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  shore.  In  capsizing  the  canoe  had 
covered  the  baggage  and  also  the  infant  of  Mrs. 
White.  On  reaching  the  shore  they  found  that 
the  body  of  the  infant  had  become  entangled  in 
the  baggage  so  that  it  had  not  sunk  in  the  river, 
but  its  pure  spirit  had  fled.     Some  friendly  Indians 

from  the  interior  on  their  way  to  Vancouver,  came 
immediately  to  the  assistance  of  the  distressed 
party,  and  conveyed  them  in  their  canoes  rapidly 
to  Vancouver,  about  forty  miles,  when  the  gen- 
tlemen of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  their 
ladies  administered  every  relief  possible.  Such 
were  the  difficulties  and  trials  under  which  our  mis- 
sionaries prosecuted  their  work. 


I  It 


THE  WORK  IN  OREGON. 


r6S 


We  have  spoken  of  the  mission  at  The  Dalles 
as  the  mnst  successful  one  among  the  Indians  of 
Oregon.  It  seems  ]M-oper  to  give  some  brief  state- 
ment in  regard  to  the  tribes  and  clans  anionr^ 
which  it  was  located.  The  location  of  the  mission 
was  really  on  ihe  border  land  between  the  Walla 
Walla's  on  the  east,  whose  nearest  villages  were  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Des  Chutes  River  and  about  the 
head  of  The  Dalles  proper,  and  were  called  Tekin 
and  Wiam.  The  Chinooks  occupied  villages  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  Columbia  at  the  Long  Narrows, 
and  still  further  to  the  north  and  west  were  the 
Klickitats.  On  the  south,  about  twenty-five  miles 
distant,  was  the  village  of  Tilhanne,  where  a  band 
of  the  Walla  Wallas  resided.  At  and  above  the 
mission  station  the  Wascoes  resided.  The  actual 
field  of  labor  with  the  missionaries  extended  from 
the  Cascades  to  the  Des  Chutes  River,  about  fifty 
miles,  and  from  Tilhanne  on  the  south  to  the  Klick- 
itats on  the  north.  These  localities  embraced 
about  2,000  Indians.  Besides  these  many  of  the 
Cayuses  and  Yakimas  were  constantly  passing  and 
repassing,  thus  opening  avenues  of  communica- 
tion with  the  interior  for  a  hundred  miles  in  each 
direction.  No  mission  could  have  been  more  fa- 
vorably located  for  widespread  influence. 

During  the  winter  of  1839-40  a  wonderful  relig- 


Ml 


1  I 


ym    ■•'  "'w 


m 


VI 


i66 


MISSIONAR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


\\ 


v\   \ 


I)  M 


W 


ioiis  excitement  spread  through  this  entire  field. 
It  began  suddenly,  even  when  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr. 
i'erkins  were  feeling  much  discouraged  with  the 
prospects  of  the  work.  But  a  little  before  many 
of  the  Indians  were  cherisliing  feelings  of  hostility 
towards  the  whites,  and  the  missionaries  even  felt 
their  lives  in  danger,  and  had  bought  several  mu.s- 
kets  and  ammunition  for  their  defence.  Almost 
at  the  very  outset  the  number  of  earnest  inquirers 
was  so  great  that  all  business  was  laid  aside  but  that 
of  teaching  the  way  of  life  to  those  dark-minded 
Indian  people.  The  largest  rooms  were  crowded. 
Many  incidents  of  thrilling  interest  are  related  of 
this  revival.  One  man,  known  as  "Boston,"  be- 
cause his  head  was  not  flattened,  of  great  influence 
among  his  people,  said  to  Mr.  Perkins,  "I  cannot 
sleep.  When  I  go  home  and  lie  down  I  think  of 
your  teaching,  and  I  cannot  sleep.  I  sleep  Utile, 
and  then  T  dream  that  I  am  in  your  meeting,  and 
my  heart  is  all  the  time  talking  over  what  you  say. 
My  heart  was  formerly  asleep,  but  now  I  see  that  it 
is  awake."  He  and  his  wife  and  daughter  were 
converted  and  became  active  Christians. 

Mr.  Daniel  Lee  gives  the  following  as  one  of  the 
prayers  of  one  of  these  so  recently  in.'^tructed  in  the 
first  principles  of  the  kingdom  of  God: — 

"O,  thou  great  Go^l  on  high,  we  now  pray  to 


run  WORK  IN  oRimoN. 


iffy 


thee.  ( )ur  fathers  knew  thee  not,  they  died  in  dark- 
ness, but  we  have  heard  of  thee;  now  we  see  a  Ht- 
tle.  Truly  we  are  wretched.  Our  hearts  arc 
bHnd — dark  as  night — our  ears  are  closed.  Our 
hearts  are  bad,  full  of  evil,  nothing  good.  Truly 
we  pray  now  to  thee.  O,  make  us  good.  Put 
away  ov.r  bad  hearts.  Give  thy  Holy  Spirit  to 
make  our  hearts  soft.  O  make  our  hearts  good — 
all  good — always  good.  Now  we  desire  thee,  O 
come  into  our  hearts — now  come.  Jesus  Christ, 
thy  son.  died  for  us;  O  Jesus,  wash  our  hearts. 
Ijehold  and  bless." 

Surely  the  spirit  of  a  genuine  contrition  and  a 
genuine  faith  is  in  this  prayer. 

The  work  extended  for  fifty  miles  up  and  down 
the  Columbia  River,  and  continued  for  many 
months;  indeed  until  nearly  all  the  Indians  had 
been  reached  by  it.  Perhaps  it  reached  its  culmin- 
ation at  a  camp  meeting  held  near  the  mission 
house  in  October  of  1841.  The  place  where  it  was 
held  was  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  present  Dalles 
Academy.  The  tents  of  the  missionaries  were 
pitched  near  the  base  of  the  rocky  precipice  a  lit- 
tle south  of  the  Academy,  and  the  wigwams  of  the 
Indians  in  a  semi-circular  form  before  them  to  the 
north.  These  were  large  tenements,  each  one  ac- 
commodating thirty   or   forty   people,   and    were 


I 


k 


tf^ 

1 

i    ■ 

1-   si 

i 

r 


•"^m 


i68 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


Sil  w 


I  i 


about  40  in  luimher.  About  1200  Indians  were  in 
attendance.  The  meeting  Ijegan  on  Monday  and 
continued  over  the  following  Sabbath.  The  whole 
round  of  scripture  truth  was  presented  to  the  peo- 
ple. Many  professed  the  new  life.  On  Sabbath 
one  hundred  and  fifty  were  baptised  by  Rev.  Jason 
Lee;  four  or  five  hundred  partook  of  the  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper,  amidst  tokens  of  spir- 
itual interest  and  appreciation  often  lacking  in 
more  cultured  congregations.  Probably  when 
the  meeting  closed  on  Monday,  and  the  Indians  re- 
turned to  their  several  homes,  not  less  than  five 
hundred  were  giving  evidence  of  having  passed 
from  death  to  life,  according  to  their  best  concep- 
tion of  the  spiritual  birth;  and  the  writer  be- 
lieves they  were  mostly  sincere  and  their  experi- 
ence real.  Perhaps  never,  among  a  heathen  peo- 
ple, was  the  power  and  glory  of  the  Gospel  more 
clearly  demonstrated.  With  many  of  the  converts 
of  this  wonde:-ful  revival  the  writer  has  been  per- 
sonally acquamted.  and  some  even  as  this  is  writ- 
ten, in  1898.  fifty-seven  years  after,  are  holding 
"the  beginning  of  their  confidence  steadfast  unto 
the  end."  Notwithstanding  within  ten  years  the 
greater  part  of  the  results  of  this  work  seemed  to 
be  dissipated  and  the  mission  itself  was  given  up, 
the  causes  are  easv  to  find  or*  ^Idc  of  the  oft-as- 


1 


THE   WORK  IN  OREGON. 


l6i) 


\ 


serted  superficiality  of  th<  work  itself.  Some  oi 
these  will  be  shown  before  we  close  our  history  of 
the  "Indian  Missions"  of  Oregon. 

Among  the  Indians  converted  at  this  meetinj^ 
was  one  young  man  who  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Lee 
and  received   the  name  of  William   McKendree. 
His  acquaintance  with  the  whites  in  connection 
with  che  work  of  the  missionaries  among  his  own 
people,  the  Wascopams,  awakened  in  his  mind  a 
great  desire  to  know  more  of  them.     When  Cap- 
tain John  C.  Fremont  visited  the  Pacific  Coast  in 
the  autumn  of  1843,  on  his  second  exploring  ex- 
pedition, he  stopped  for  quite  a  length  of  time  with 
the  missionaries,  Lee  and  Perkins,  at  The  Dalles. 
His  return  eastward   took   a   wide   circle   to   the 
south,  during  which  he  crossed  the  Sierra  Neva- 
das  into  the  Sacramento  Valley  in  the  middle  of 
the  winter  of  i843-'44      His  journe}'  was  one  of 
the  most  perilous  and  difficult  ever  performed  in 
America.     At  his  own  request,  and  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  Daniel  Lee,  William  McKendree  en- 
listed  in    the    service    of   Captain    Fremont,    and 
bravely  endured  all  the  hardships  of  the  journey  to 
the  Sacramento,  and  the  following  summer  to  St. 
Louis.     He  attended  Capt.  Fremont  to  Washing- 
ton, and  in  the  summer  of  1845  returned  overland 
with  the  emigration  of  that  year  to  Oregon.     In 


lyo 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y 


1856  the  writer  of  this  vokime,  being  appointed 
the  first  resident  pastor  at  The  Dalles  in  the  domes- 
tic work,  became  intimately  acquainted  with  him. 
He  was  then  a  stable,  intelligent,  trustworthy  man, 
living  with  his  own  people,  about  a  mile  from  the 
river  landing.     Later  he  removed  to  the  Warm 
Springs  Reservation  with  his  tribe,  about  a  hun- 
dred miles  south  of  his  former  home.     He  chose 
to  be  with  his  own  people.     On  the  reservation  he 
maintained  a  christian  character,  and  about   1894 
he  died  as  the  Christian  dies.     His  conversion  was 
clear,  his  life  exemplar)-  and  humble.     He  was  but 
one  of  the  fruits  of  the  great  revival  among  the 
Indians  at  The  Dalles  at  the  time  of  which  we 
write.      The   writer   has   personally   known,   since 
1870,  at  least  a  score  who  were  yet  steadfast  in  the 
faith  and  experience  of  the  Gospel. 

In  this  manner  the  work  of  God  went  on  at  The 
Dalles  station  and  among  the  Indian  villages  on 
the  Columbia  under  the  care  of  Rev.  D.  Lee  and 
Rev.  H.  K.  W.  Perkins  through  1839  ^^^  ^^^  early 
part  of  1840.  Its  results  seemed  fully  to  justify 
the  judgment  of  the  whole  force  in  the  Methodist 
missions  under  tlie  inspiration  of  which  Mr.  Jason 
Lee  was  then  in  tlie  east  for  the  purpose  of  procur- 
ing reinforcements  for  the  work.  Truly  "the  har- 
vest  was  plenteou.s  but   the   laborers  were  few.'' 


THE   WORK  IN  OREGON. 


171 


These  "few"  greatly  rejoiced  in  the  hope  that,  in 
a  short  time  "the  Lord  of  the  harvest  would  send 
forth  more  laborers  into  his  harvest."  Until  they 
came  the  few  already  on  the  field  must  wait  anl 
work. 

But  the  spirit  of  revival  was  not  confined  to  the 
station  at  The  Dalles.  At  the  Willamette  station 
the  closing  months  of  1838  and  the  opening  ones 
of  1839  were  marked  by  one  of  the  most  remarka- 
ble seasons  of  revival  among  the  small  number  of 
whites  who  had,  from  various  sources,  gathered 
into  the  country,  and  the  Indian  children  of  the 
school  at  the  Willamette  station  that  was  ever  re- 
corded. Rev.  D.  Leslie  had  charge  of  the  work  at 
that  place,  but  was  very  officiently  aided  by  Rev. 
Mr.  Perkins  who  was  then  on  a  visit  to  the  lower 
country  from  his  station  at  The  Dalles,  as  also  by 
all  the  lay  members  of  the  mission.  The  work 
commenced  with  a  love  feast  held  on  the  morning 
of  Sabbath,  December  30,  at  which  were  present  all 
the  missionaries,  one  American  settler  residing  a 
few  miles  from  the  mission,  and  all  the  children  o? 
the  mission  school.  It  was  tli  ■  first  love-feast  in 
which  they  had  ever  participated.  Mr.  Leslie  gave 
them  a  simple  and  touching  account  of  the  orif^^in 
of  "Feasts  of  Charity"  among  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians; the  renewal  of  the  custom  amoni!-  the  Mor  i- 


s^sa 


f/2 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


vians  after  the  reformation;  its  adoption  by  Wes- 
ley, and  its  blessed  effects  among  Christians  to  the 
present  day.  The  children  were  much  interested, 
and  manifested  great  emotion.  At  the  evening- 
service  Mr.  Perkins  preached  from  "As  many  as 
are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of 
(lod,"  when  an  opportunity  was  given  for  all  who 
desired  to  be  the  sons  of  God  to  express  that  de- 
sire. Two  Americans,  all  that  were  present,  and 
one  French  Canadian  immediately  rose.  Monday 
night  a  watch-night  service  was  held.  Among  the 
attendants  was  an  American  from  New  Hamp- 
shire, another  who  had  been  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains as  a  trappr-,  and  a  native  of  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land, composing,  with  a  notable  exception,  all  the 
whites  in  the  vicinity  out  side  of  the  servants,  ac- 
tive and  retired,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
That  exception  was  a  man  who  had  once  been  a 
professor  of  religion  in  Massachusetts,  but  had  be- 
comehardened  in  sin  during  his  journey  to  Oregon, 
and  in  his  residence  here.  He  and  one  of  the  men 
named  abofe  had  been  warm  friends  and  compan- 
ions, but  were  now  sworn,  deadh-  enemies,  and  in  a 
county  where  there  was  no  law,  every  man  was  his 
own  avenger.  All  expected  that  when  these  two 
men  met  blood  would  flow,  for  among  the  old 
mountaineers  blood  \*as  as  cheap  as  water       vftcr 


I  !! 


THE  WORK  IN  ORECON. 


'73 


a  desperate  struggle  one  of  these  men  laid  his  en- 
mity and  his  heart  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.     The 
other,  sullen  and  determined,  lingered  among  the 
hills  a  few  miles  away,  and  across  the  Willamette, 
brooding  alone  over  his  supposed  wrongs  and  med- 
itating acts  of  blood.     A  mutual  friend  of  these 
two  men,  who  had  also  been  converted  at  the  meet- 
ing, sought  him  out  and  persuaded  him  to  so  far 
defer  his  purpose  of  revenge  as  to  accompany  him 
to  the  mission  and  see  the  wondrous  work  of  God. 
He  came  and  seated  himself  in  one  part  of  the 
motley   group,    consisting   of   whites,    half-castes, 
Hawaiians,    Indians — almost   a   repetition   of   the 
gathering  at  Jerusalem — while  his  once  friend,  but 
late  sworn  foe  sat  in  another.     Still  they  had  not 
met  face  to  face.    While  the  meeting  was  progress- 
ing a  dark  cloud  sat  on  his  brow,  but  whether  it 
boded  repentance  or  revenge  and  blood  none  could 
tell.     Presently  he  was  seen  to  sink  to  his  knees, 
and  immediately  some  of  the  missionaries  kneeled 
by  his  side  directing  his  thoughts  and  faith  to  '*the 
Lamb  of  God."     An  hour  passed  while  a  soul  was 
struggling  with  its  God,  when  he  arose  to  his  feet. 
His  late  enemy  was  standing  a  few  feet  from  him. 
and  as  their  eyes  met,   the  whole  assembly  was 
hushed  into  silence.     They  each  seemed  to  tremble 
a  moment,  and  then  rushed  into  each  other'*>arms 


mWiaiiMiiiai 


174 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  V. 


and  with  words  of  confession  and  tears  of  contri- 
tion l:>esought  each  other's  pardon.  They  were 
made  'one  in  Christ  Jesus."  Thus,  and  thus  only, 
Christianity  ruled  the  lawless  elements  of  early 
Oregon  life. 

But  this  revival  was  not  confined  to  the  few 
whites  of  the  country.  The  youth  of  the  school 
shared  largely  in  it.  The  most  of  these  youths 
had  received  English  names,  and  can  be  known  in  a 
narrative  of  the  mission  only  by  them.  Among 
them  were  a  few  whose  names  should  have  special 
notice.  One  of  these  was  Elijah  Hedding.  When 
Mr.  Lee  was  on  his  way  to  Oregon  in  1834  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  most  renowned  chief 
the  Walla  Walla  Indians  ever  had,  Peu-peu-mox- 
mox,  or  The  Yellow  Serpent,  and  traveled  in  his 
company  through  what  is  now  one  of  the  most 
thrifty  parts  of  the  State  of  Oregon,  Grande  Ronde 
Valley. 

With  Peu-peu-mox-mox  was  his  son.  then  a 
mere  lad,  but  the  pride  of  the  chieftain's  heart.  This 
chief  desired  Mr.  Lee  to  locate  among  his  people, 
but  as  soon  as  he  found  that  the  mission  was  estab- 
lished in  the  Willamette,  though  it  was  three  hun- 
dred miles  away,  he  took  his  son  and  consigned 
him  to  the  care  of  the  mission,  returning  himself  to 
his  people.     During  the  revival  Elijai^  was  convert- 


THE   WORK  IN  OR  KG  ON. 


i75 


ed,  and  while  he  remained  with  the  mission  Hved 
a  most  exemplary  life,  and  improved  rapidly  in  his 
English  edncation.  After  returning  to  his  own  peo- 
ple, however,  he  lapsed  measurably  into  the  hab- 
its of  his  earlier  life,  but  at  the  camp  meeting  at 
The  Dalles,  he  was  again  renewed  in  Christian  ex- 
perience and  life. 

The  fame  of  his  father  had  reached  even  to  Cali- 
fornia. He  was  known  among  the  Indians  to  be 
dreaded  for  his  prowess  in  war;  among  the  whites 
for  his  ability  and  eloquence.  On  the  reception  of 
a  message  from  Captain  Sutter,  requesting  him  to 
come  with  his  braves  and  hunters  into  the  Sacra- 
mento Valley,  he  left  Walla  Walla  accompanied 
by  his  son  and  many  of  his  people,  and  traveled  six 
hundred  miles  to  comply  with  this  friendly-request. 
While  there,  Elijah,  who  being  able  to  talk 
good  English,  was  much  with  the  whites, 
was  at  Sutter's  Fort  one  day  in  his  father's 
absence.  Some  cattle  had  been  gathered  by  the 
chief  and  some  of  his  men,  and  among  them  a  few 
claimed  by  some  of  the  whites,  who  demanded  of 
Elijah  their  instant  return.  The  reply  was  "I  have 
spoken  in  favor  of  their  return,  but  my  father  is 
chief,  and  he  is  now  absent."  This  answer  was  no-^ 
ble  and  Christian,  but  the  angry  attitude  and  <^ords 
of  the  whites  satisfied  Elijah  that  they  designed  to 


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176 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  V. 


take  his  life.  Calmly  he  said:  "If  I  am  to  die,  give 
me  time  to  pray."  He  dropped  upon  his  knees  and 
while  in  an  attitude  of  prayer  a  white  man  shot 
him  dead.  His  father  returned  to  his  people  with 
a  sad  heart  and  a  dark  brow.  Is  it  a  great  wonder 
that,  seven  years  later,  when  the  Indian  wars  of 
Oregon  were  raging,  Peu-peu-mox-mox  was  one 
of  the  most  dreaded  foes  of  the  whites? 

The  most  important  and  successful  work  of  the 
mission  so  far  as  the  Indians  were  concerned,  was 
done  through  the  school.  This  was  under  the  care 
of  Cyrus  Shepard. 

Mr.  Shepard  was  Mr.  Lee's  own  selection  for 
this  very  work,  and  accompanied  him  on  his  jour- 
ney to  the  country  in  1834.  He  was  a  teacher  by 
profession  before  he  entered  the  mission  work. 
His  religious  character  was  cast  in  the  finest  mould. 
No  man  ever  entered  a  mission  field  more  fittingly 
adapted  to  the  work  before  him  that  Cyrus 
Shepard.  After  Mr.  Lee  had  been  selected 
as  the  superintendent  of  the  mission  he  made 
diligent  inquiry  for  the  right  man  for  the 
position  of  missionary  teacher,  and,  from  the  mul- 
titude suggested  he  selected  Mr.  Shepard,  who  was 
at  the  time  a  teacher  in  the  City  of  Lynn,  Massa- 
chusetts. Accepting  the  position  offered  him  he 
entered  (heart  and  soul  into  the  missionarv  work. 


II 


THE   WORK  IN  OREGON. 


'77 


winning  the  love  of  all  who  were  associated  with 
him,  and  the  touching  affection  of  the  Indian  chil- 
dren who  were  under  his  care. 

At  the  same  time  in  which  Jason  Lee  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Anna  Maria  Pittman,  as  before  record- 
ed, Mr.  Shepard  was  married  to  Miss  Susan  Down- 
ing, of  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  who  had  sailed  in 
company  with  Miss  Pittman  around  Cape  Horn  in 
1836  to  engage  in  the  mission  work  in  Oregon. 
Miss  Downing  was  also  every  way  suited  to  the 
place  she  was  called  to  fill.  She  was  engaged  to 
Mr.  Shepard  bef  )re  his  leaving  the  States  for  Ore- 
gon in  1834,  and  so  has  the  distinction  of  being  the 
first  woman  who  deliberately  planned  to  identify 
her  life  with  the  missionary  work  in  Oregon.  She 
was  a  sister  of  Rev.  Joshua  W.  Downing,  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  and  devoted  young  minis- 
ters that  ever  entered  the  New  England  Confer- 
ence, who  died  when  pastor  of  Broomfield  Street 
Church,  Boston,  at  27  years  of  age.  Nearly  three 
years  had  j^assed  since  their  marriage,  in  which 
both  had  justified  by  their  work  the  faith  Mr.  Lee 
and  the  church  had  reposed  in  tl^em. 

As  1839  drew  towards  its  close  Mr.  Shepard's 
health  began  to  decline,  and  under  most  pathetical- 
ly painful  conditions  he  was  prostrated  with  dis- 
ease.    On  the  1st  day  of  January.  1840,  his  pure 


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178 


AflSS/ONAR  V  HISTORY. 


spirit  went  forth  to  its  crowning  of  immortality. 
Read  in  the  light  of  their  own  feelings  the  loss 
within  six  months  of  Mrs.  Lee  and  Mr.  Shepard 
was  irreparable  to  the  missionaries.  It  left  the 
band  sorely  stricken,  yet  strongly  upheld  by  the 
hand  that  had  so  grievously  smitten. 

God  never  forgets.  He  always  cares  for  His 
own.  When  Mr.  Shepard  was  taken  away  it  was 
feared  that  the  school  at  the  mission  would  be  al- 
most, if  not  entirely  broken  up.  Providentially 
however,  Mr.  Wm.  Geiger,  a  Presbyterian,  on  his 
way  to  California,  consented  to  remain  at  the  Wil- 
lamette station  and  took  charge  of  the  school. 
Under  his  care  it  prospered  until  the  arrival  of  the 
great  reinforcement  six  months  after  the  death  of 
Mr.  Shepard. 

The  missionaries  in  the  field  had  already  been 
apprised  of  the  sailing  of  the  Lausanne  from  New 
York  with  Mr.  Lee  and  the  great  reinforcement 
to  the  mission  on  board,  and  were  anxiously  await- 
ing their  arrival.  A  few  incidents  illustrating  the 
progress  and  character  of  the  work  in  the  field  and 
the  devotion  of  the  workmen  may  suitably  close 
this  chapter. 

To  provide  for  the  forty  or  fifty  persons,  includ- 
ing the  Indian  children  in  the  school,  dependent 
on  the  mission  involved  a  vast  amount  of  manual 


-I 


THE   WORK  IN  ORECiON. 


'79 


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labor.  A  larp^e  farm  was  to  he  cultivated,  herds 
were  to  be  gathered  and  cared  for,  and  everything 
under  conditions  that  exacted  the  utmost  patience 
and  greatest  disinterestedness.  To  get  the  wheat 
floured  for  bread  was  no  small  task.  The  mill  was 
twelve  miles  away,  and  the  wheat  was  to  be  trans- 
ported on  packhorses.  A  pair  of  large  saddle-bags 
made  of  elk  skins  were  suspended  over  the  saddle, 
and  a  sack  of  wheat  holding  a  l)ushel  and  a  half 
put  into  each  side,  and  all  lashed  firmly  to  the 
horse  with  a  stout  rope.  Often,  especially  during 
the  rainy  season,  flour  ran  short,  and  then  boiled 
wheat  was  its  substitute.  Up  to  this  time  no 
wheeled  vehicles  were  in  the  country  except  such 
as  were  manufactured  by  the  missionaries  them- 
selves out  of  pieces  of  logs  for  wheels  and  fir  poles 
for  axles,  and  constructed  with  such  tools  as  an  ax, 
an  auger,  and  a  shaving  knife.  They  were  fastened 
and  ironed  by  rawhide  thongs,  very  much  like 
the  vehicles  of  three  thousand  years  ago  on  the 
plains  of  Thibet.  They  were  waiting  for  the  wag- 
ons that  were  coming  by  and  by.  ^ 
At  the  mission  in  the  interior  at  The  Dalles  there 
were  no  cows  for  milk  and  no  catde  for  beef.  It 
was  of  course  necessary  to  obtain  them.  When  Mr.  « 
Lee  came  into  the  country  in  1834  he  had  driven  ' 
some  American  cows  and  horses  as  far  as  Walla 


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hundrecl  and  fifty  miles  down  and  up  great  rivers 
broken  by  falls  and  cascades,  swept  by  wintry  tem- 
pests, with  icy  currents  a  mile  wide,  rushini;; 
through  great  mountain  ranges  whose  pinnacles  are 
wrapped  in  ne\er-melting  ice,  no  civilized  man 
dwelling  at  but  two  points  in  all  that  gloomy  dis- 
tance, did  this  man  make  this  perilous  voyage  on 
his  mission  of  love  and  help  to  the  most  degraded 
of  earth.  Adventure  has  no  more  thrilling  story, 
piety  no  diviner  devotion,  and  courage  no  more 
magnificent  daring  than  were  displayed  by  this 
man  here  and  in  all  his  story  of  missionary  life. 
Ten  years  after  this  wonderful  voyage  the  writer 
began  his  travels  over  the  same  rivers  and  over  the 
samt'  mountain  trails  that  Lee  thus  traveled.  Even 
then  it  was  changed,  but  he  always  passed  on 
his  ways  with  an  unspeakable  reverence  in  his 
heart  for  the  life  so  much  greater  than  his  own  that 
opened  to  all  other  feet  the  way  to  the  mighty  west- 
land.  Since  Lee  marched  across  the  continent  in 
1834,  "any  man  can  march  to  the  sea  now.*' 

Mr.  Lee  remained  at  The  Dalles  lor  about  two 
v/eeks,  attending  carefully  to  the  interests  that 
brought  him  heie. 

The  chief  object  of  Mr.  Lee's  journey  to  The 
Dalles  at  this  time  being  to  allay,  if  possible,  the 
warlike  excitement  among  the  Cayuse  and  Walla 


TRIALS  AND  TRIUMPHS. 


26g 


Walla  Indians.  Hehad caused  the  fact  of  his  intend- 
ed visit  to  be  communicated  to  Peu-peu-mox-mox. 
the  great  Walla  Walla  chieftain,  with  an  intima- 
tion that  he  would  be  glad  to  meet  him  at  The 
Dalles  to  consult  with  him  about  the  difficulties 
between  the  whites  and  the  Indians,  and  the  talk 
of  war  that  was  agitating  the  whole  country.  They 
were  well  acquainted  with  each  other,  and  the 
chief  had  full  confidence  in  the  word  and  judgment 
of  the  missionary.  As  stated  elsewhere,  the  son  of 
Peu-peu-mox-mox  had  been  brought  to  the  mis- 
sion school  by  his  father,  where  he  had  been  in- 
structed in  the  elements  of  an  English  education, 
as  well  as  in  the  principles  of  the  Christian  life,  and 
had  received  the  name  of  Elijah  Hedding;  after 
that  most  eminent  bishop  who  had  oeen  a  chief  in- 
strument in  founding  and  sustaining  the  Oregon 
mission.  As  the  Walla  Wallas  were  deeply  in- 
volved -vith  the  Cayuses  in  the  warlike  rumors,  the 
chief,  who  was  himself  at  that  time  disposed  to  be 
a  friend  of  the  whites,  came  down  to  meet  Mr.  Lee 
with  a  company  of  his  warriors,  and  confer  with 
him  on  the  subjects  that  were  alarming  both  the 
whites  and  Indians  in  all  the  country.  He  was 
especially  anxious  to  learn  of  Mr.  Lee  whether  the 
whites  wished  peace  or  war,  and  particularly  ur- 
gent to  know  what  effect  the  coming  of  so  many 


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MISSION  A  RY  HISTORY. 


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white  people  into  the  country  would  have  upon 
the  Indians.  Peu-peu-mox-mox,  otherwise  known 
as  "Yellow  Serpent,"  had  the  instincts  of  a  states- 
man, and  Mr.  Lee  knew  he  could  be  addressed  as 
such.  Very  frankly  Mr.  Lee  said  to  him  and  his 
warriors,  as  I  quote  from  his  journal: — 

"That  will  depend  largely  upon  yourselves.  If 
you  imitate  our  industry  and  adopt  our  habits  your 
poverty  will  soon  disappear,  and  your  people  will 
have  things  as  well  as  we.  Our  hands  are  our 
wealth,  and  you  and  your  people  have  hands  as  well 
as  we,  and  you  only  need  to  use  them  properly  in 
order  to  gain  property."  . 

This,  Mr.  Lee  further  says: — 

"I  illustrated  this  by  showing  them  that  Ameri- 
cans who  passed  through  their  country  entirely 
destitute  would  by  their  industry  upon  the  Wil- 
lamette in  a  few  years  have  horses  and  cattle  and 
houses  and  other  property,  the  fruits  of  their  own 
labors." 

They  wanted  to  know  if  Dr.  White,  the  Indian 
agent  who  had  but  recently  visited  them  at  Walla 
Walla,  intended  to  give  them  any  thing.  Mr.  Lee 
told  them  that  "to  be  always  looking  for  gifts  was 
a  sure  sign  of  laziness,  for  the  industrious  would 
rather  labor  and  earn  a  thing  than  to  beg  it." 

After  several  conversations,  in  all  of  which  Mr. 
Lee  was  frank,  though  kind  and  sympathizing. 
Peu-peu-mox-mox    and   his    people   departed    for 


1. 


TRIALS  AMD  TRIUMPHS. 


271 


their  own  place  at  Walla  Walla,  more  than  one 
hundred  miles  from  The  Dalles. 

Without  doubt  this  perilous  winter  journey  of 
Mr.  Lee  had  very  much  to  do  in  calming  the  fears 
of 'the  Indians  at  this  most  critical  time  the  Amer- 
icans in  the  country  ever  saw.  They  were  so  few 
that  an  Indian  outbreak,  such  as  was  threatened 
at  this  time,  would  easily  have  sw^ept  them  all  from 
the  face  of  the  earth.  No  other  American  in  the 
country  had  the  influence  Mr.  Lee  had  among 
the  Indians,  and  his  courage  and  sagicity  were 
equal  to  any  emergency  that  came  to  him. 

In  order  to  keep  the  order,  relations  and  con- 
tinuity of  history  clearly  in  the  reader's  mind,  it  is 
needful  to  say  here  that  this  visit  of  Mr.  Lee  to 
The  Dalles,  and  his  conference  with  Peu-peu-mox- 
mox  occurred  when  Dr.  Whitman,  of  the  mission 
of  Waiiletpu,  was  absent  on  his  journey  to  the 
States,  and  when  Mrs.  Whitman  had  been  com- 
pelled to  leave  that  mission  for  her  own  personal 
safety,  and  was  spending  her  time  with  the  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Methodist  Church  at  The  Dalles. 
Practically  the  work  of  the  mission  at  Waiiletpu 
was  suspended  for  nearly  a  year  for  these  reasons 
and  in  this  way.  A  further  account  of  these  inci- 
dents in  their  relation  to  that  mission  will  be  given 
hereafter. 


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MISSION  A  R  J '  HIS  TOR  V. 


During-  th€  journey  of  Mr.  Lee.  occurred  an  in- 
cident vvliose  after  results  so  illustrates  his  faithful- 
ness and  the  greatness  of  his  influence  over  ^he  In- 
dian mind  that  it  should  have  a  brief  record.  After 
preaching  to  the  Indians,  and  praying  with  them 
he  then  gave  them  small  books  or  papers,  as  to- 
kens of  his  interest  in  them,  and  sometimes  copies 
of  the  New^  Testament.  The  incident  was  related 
by  Rev.  E.  R.  Geary,  D.D.,  one  of  the  most  emin- 
ent Presbyterian  ministers  ever  in  Oregon,  the 
brother  of  General  Geary,  who  won  high  honor  at 
the  storming  of  Lookout  Mountain,  and  we  give  it 
to  our  readers  in  his  own  words,  in  a  letter  com- 
municated to  Mr.  F.  H.  Grubbs,  the  son-in-law  of 
Jason  Lee,  many  years  after  the  incident  occurred: 

"Ln  the  summer  of  i860  I  and  my  party  were 
mercifully  preserved  from  the  wreck  of  a  sail  boat 
on  the  Columbia  River,  about  twenty  miles  east  of 
The  Dalles.  After  hours  of  toil  and  danger  we 
reached  the  north  bank,  wet  and  worn,  and  entered 
the  lodge  of  an  Indian. 

He  was  in  feeble  health,  but  impressively  vener- 
able in  appearance.  Our  misfortune  seemed  to 
arouse  all  his  energies.  It  being  important  that  I 
should  reach  The  Dalles  that  night,  he  immediate- 
ly sent  out  several  young  Indians  to  bring  in  and 
prepare  us  horses.  Being  told  that  I  was  Superin- 
tendent of  Indian  Affairs,  he  said  he  had  heard  of 
me,  and  that  I  was  God's  man;  he  was  glad  to  see 
me.  He  then  (we  spoke  in  the  Jargon),  said  that 
we  both  had  one  God;    that  he  talked  with  that 


vw 


TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS. 


273 


God  every  day.     1  was  at  once  impressed  with  his 
fervor  and  earnestness.     Who  told  you,  said  I,  of 
the  great  God  you  worship  every  day?     The  priest, 
''"•  was  his  reply;     and  in  mediately  hurrying  to  the 
corner  of  the  lodge  he  drew  out  a  carefully  folded 
•■    buffalo  robe  from  beneath  a  number  of  other  pack- 
ages.    Within  this  was  a  dressed  deer  skin,  then 
that  of  a  badger,  then  a  piece  of  bright  blue  cloth 
enwrapping  a  small  book.     Holding  it  up,  he  ex- 
'  •   claimed,  "This  is  God's  book;  the  priest  gave  it  to 
me."     I  of  course  concluded  him  to  be  a  Catholic, 
•  and  that  the  book  was  a  volume  of  devotion.     On 
opening  the  book,  however,  1  was  surprised  to  find 
it  one  of  the  early  publications  of  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union.     He  evidently  thought  it 
the  Bible,  and  I  did  nothing  to  destroy  the  innocent 
,.    illusion.     I  row  asked  the  name  of  the  priest.    His 
prompt  reply  was  "Jason   Lee."     Light   at  once 
broke  on  the  mystery.     "Many  years  before,"  he 
told  me,  "he  had  heard  Jason  Lee  talk  first  to  the 
Indians  and    then   to   God" — that    is,    I   suppose, 
preach  and  pray,  and  he  had  talked  to  that  God 
■     ever  since.  -    ■     , 

The  book  was  restored  to  its  wrappings  and 
place.  To  the  Indian  it  seemed  a  "holy  of  holies." 
That  night,  beneath  a  bright  moon,  we  started 
on  our  cayuses,  convoyed  by  Elippama,  th'e  In- 
dian's name,  over  the  rugged  and  dangerous  trail, 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Columbia,  and  arrived  at 
The  Dalles  safelv  about  2  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Elippama,  a  trait  seldom  paralleled  in  an  Indian, 
was  very  reluctant  to  accept  remuneration,  saying 
that  he  wanted  no  pa/,,  "hat  his  heart  was  to  help 
us  in  our  trouble. 

The  horses  were,  however,  loaded  back  with 
flour,  and  a  sack  of  that  Indian  luxury,  sugar,  for 


M 


mm 


274 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY 


9  .   i 


\m 


!  -lis  i 
ill 


III 


I  ill  11 


which,  on  a  fair  representation  of  the  case,  the  gov- 
ernment paid  without  a  question. 

The  next  spring  I  had  prepared  a  small  present 
for  my  benefactor,  but  learned  that  he  had  died 
of  consumption  during  the  winter, 

Elippama  lives  in  my  memory  as  a  beautiful  ex- 
ample of  simple  faith  and  Christian  kindness,  that 
would  have  adorned  the  highest  civilization. 

Is  he  not  now  one,  not  the  least  brilliant,  of  the 
stars  in  the  crown  of  the  venerable  Lee?" 

On  the  14th  of  February  Mr.  Lee  found  his  work 
at  The  Dalles  so  done  that  he  was  ready  to  retrace 
his  way  down  the  Columbia.  The  snow  was  two 
feet  deep,  but  the  river  was  open  and  at  dark  he 
and  his  four  Indians  again  pushed  their  frail  canoe 
out  on  the  mighty  river.  The  journey  downward 
was  but  a  repetition  of  that  coming  up.  Through 
rain  and  sleet  and  snow,  now  windbound  at  some 
great  rocky  headland  and  compelled  to  encamp  in 
the  deep  snow  and  the  biting  cold,  dragging  their 
canoe  at  times  over  snowy  crust  and  icy  floe,  they 
toiled  onward  and  at  dark  on  the  night  of  Febru- 
ary 7th  their  canoe  toi^ched  the  shore  at  Vancou- 
ver. He  was  received  by  Dr.  McLoughlin  with  his 
usual  kindness  and  hospitality,  but  was  scarcely 
seated  before  the  Doctor  inquired,"Have  you  heard 
of  the  dreadful  disaster?"  With  a  heart  almost 
standing  still  Mr.  Lee  replied:  "I  have  heard  of 
no  recent  disaster.     What  is  it,  pray?"     Dr.  Mc- 


TRIALS  AND  TRIUMPHS. 


275 


Loughlin  replied:  "Mr.  Rogers,  Mrs.  Rogers  and 
her  sister,  also  Esquire  Crocker  and  two  Indians, 
all  went  over  the  Falls  of  the  Willamette  and  are 
drowned!"  The  facts  of  the  "dreadful  disaster" 
thus  announced  to  Mr.Lee  were  as  follows: 

On  Thursday,  February  2,  1843,  Mr.  Cornelius 
Rogers,  who  had  formerly  been  connected  with  the 
mission  of  Dr.  Whitman  at  Waiiletpu,  left  the  Wil- 
lamette settlement  with  his  wife,  who  was  the  eld- 
est daughter  of  Rev.  David  Leslie,  and  her  little 
sister  Aurelia,  to  remove  to  "The  Falls,"  where 
they  intended  to  reside  permanently.  With  them 
in  a  large  canoe  belonging  to  the  Mission  were  Mr. 
W.  W.  Raymond,  a  member  of  the  Mission  resid- 
ing at  Clatsop;  Dr.  Elijah  White,  sub-agent  of  In- 
dian affairs  in  Oregon;  Nathanial  Crocker,  Esq., 
late  of  Lansingville,  N.  Y.,  and  five  Indians  assist- 
ing in  paddling  the  canoe.  They  passed  safely 
from  the  Mission  to  the  head  of  the  rapids  above 
the  Falls.  At  this  place  canoes  were  let  down  the 
swift  current  a  few  rods  above  the  cataract  around 
a  point  of  rock  by  a  rope,  below  which  they  were 
brought  to  the  shore  by  the  side  ot  a  large  log, 
where  all  passengers  got  off  to  make  the  short 
portage  on  foot.  Mr.  Raymond  and  three  Indians 
were  on  shore  letting  the  canoe,  with  all  the  others 
on  board,  down  beyond  the  rock.     As  the  canoe 


i 

1 

j 

1 

'* 

1 

K     .'■    < 

;,    ; 

*?'•  . 

\  r' 

t 

^Aiiiii 

i 

i  ■  ^ 

\   :    ) 

i       9K.%I&'li 

4 


2^6 


MISS  ION  A  R ) '  HIS  TOR  V. 


swung  to  the  side  of  the  log  Dr.  White  immediate- 
ly stepped  upon  the  log,  but  as  he  did  so  the  rapid 
current  caught  the  bow  of  the  canoe,  which  was 
up  the  stream,  and  swung  the  canoe  outward  with 
a  force  that  drew  Mr.  Raymond  and  the  three  In- 
dians into  the  river.  They  were  obliged  to  let  go 
of  the  rope.  It  was  just  above  the  brink  of  the 
cataract,  where  the  river  makes  a  sheer  leap  of 
twenty-feet  into  a  seething  cauldron  availed  in 
by  perpendicular  basaltic  rocks  at  least  thirty  feet 
high.  In  an  instant  the  canoe  made  the  dreadful 
plunge.  A  wild  wail  of  despair  was  heard  as  the 
doomed  victims  were  buried  in  the  unfathomed 
depths.  •  "•'• 

When  it  was  remembered  that  the  entire  Oregon 
community  at  that  time  comprised  only  a  few 
dozen  souls,  and  that  this  dreadful  disaster  took 
out  of  that  small  number  four  of  the  most  influen- 
tial and  useful  members  of  it  in  an  instant,  the 
shock  to  the  people  of  Oregon  will  be  realized. 
There  was  a  romance  preceding  the  tragedy  and 
made  a  part  of  it,  that  was  particularly  thrilling. 
Mr.  Rogers  had  been  one  of  the  most  useful  mem- 
bers of  the  mission  of  Dr.  Whitman,  but  becoming 
discouraged  with  the  condition  of  the  mission, 
and  seeing  no  prospect  for  its  future  success,  he 
asked  and  obtained  his  discharge  from  it,  and  re- 


TRIALS  AND   TRIUMPHS. 


277 


moved  to  the  Willamette  to  make  a  home  under 
its  more  promisinj^  auspices.  Only  the  September 
before  Rev.  David  LesHe,  with  his  family  of  five 
motherless  girls,  had  taken  passag-2  on  the  bris^ 
Chenamas  for  the  Sandwich  Islands, and  perhaps  to 
the  United  States,  that  he  might  put  his  daughters 
in  school.  Mr.  T^ogers  accompanied  him  and  his 
family  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River  in  the 
brig.  W  hen  the  vessel  was  about  ready  to  sail  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Rogers  with  Satira,  the  eldest  of 
the  five  girls,  was  solemnized  on  board  the  ship  by 
Dr.  J.  P.  Richmond,  and  it  was  arranged  that  Mr. 
Rogers  and  his  wife  should  take  back  the  two 
younger  daughters  of  Mr.  Leslie  and  care  for  them 
until  the  father  could  make  further  provision  for 
them.  Tn  pursuance  of  these  noble  purposes  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rogers,  who  was  one  of  the  most  be- 
loved members  of  the  "Oregon  Mission  Family," 
and  her  youngest  sister.  Aurelia.  took  this  fatal 
voyage,  and  thus  sadly  their  hopes  and  the  high 
expectations  of  their  friends  for  them  perished. 
The  event  spread  a  pall  ov^r  the  whole  land  and  it 
was  long  before  the  sad  shadow  was  lifted.  Only 
a  few  months  before  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  and  Rev. 
fiarvey  Clark  and  wife  had  narrowly  escaped  the 
same  fate  at  the  same  place.  Exposure  to  such 
dangers  was  constant.     Nearly  all  traveling,  as  the 


t"*.  J 


I 


■ 


27S 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


reader  has  seen,  was  done  in  canoes  on  these  rapid 
rivers,  filled  with  cascades,  broken  by  falls,  and  of- 
ten walled  by  basaltic  clifTs  hundreds  of  feet  hig^h. 
No  such  dangerous  itinerancy  was  ever  known  else- 
where in  Methodism. 

Mr.  Lee  arrived  at  the  Mission  station  at  Che- 
niekete  to  find  an  inexpressible  sadness  and  gloom 
over  all  hearts  and  all  faces.  With  the  discourage- 
ments that  rested  upon  the  work  ;\mong  the  In- 
dians, the  departure  of  some  of  those  who  had  been 
longest  and  most  faithful  in  the  field,  the  rumors 
of  war  that  had  agitated  the  minds  of  the  few  peo- 
ple of  the  country,  and  the  awful  death  of  the  com- 
pany at  the  Falls,  it  does  not  appear  strange  that 
all  should  feel  that  "clouds  and  darkness  are  round 
about"  the  ways  of  God.  Nothing  but  the  most 
steadfast  faith  could  keep  its  poise  in  such  an  hour. 
This  Mr.  Lee  had.  and  so  among  the  dismayed  he 
was  undiscouraged,  for  he  was  of  that  nature  that 
"converses  unshaken  with  what  the  stoutest  war- 
riors have  trembled  to  think  upon." 

The  changed  conditions  resulting  from  the 
amalgamation  of  the  considerable  immigration  of 
1842  with  the  American  Society  which  had  pre- 
ceded it  began  plainly  to  be  observed  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1843.  Methods  and  objects  of  work  began 
to  take  on  new  aspects.     As  an  illustration;    On 


m 


TRIALS  AND  TRIUMPHS, 


m 


the  12th  (lay  of  July  the  first  camp  meeting  helrl 
for  the  benefit  of  white  people  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  was  begun.  It  was  held  on  Tiijl.ithi 
Plains,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sections  of  tiie 
Territory,  not  far  from  where  the  town  </  Hills- 
boro  now  is.  There  was  but  one  tent  on  the 
ground,  and  that  was  pitched  between  three  ;  rees, 
"two  of  which  were  towering  firs,  and  the  other  a 
stately  oak,  fit  emblems,"  said  G.  Hines,  writing  to 
the  Missionary  Board,  "of  the  majesty  and  power 
of  the  truths  proclaimed  beneath  their  wide  spread 
branches."  The  first  day  of  the  meeting  there 
were  but  fourteen  persons  present,  and  the  text  of 
the  preacher,  Jason  Lee,  was,  "Where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name  there  am  I  in 
the  midst  of  them."  On  Sabbath  the  number  pres- 
ent on  the  ground  was  about  sixty,  nineteen  of 
whom  were  not  professors  of  religion.  Before  the 
exercises  of  that  day  had  closed  sixteen  of  these 
were  rejoicing  in  a  belief  of  sins  forgiven,  and  join- 
ing in  the  praises  of  God  for  salvation.  Among 
them  were  several  who  had  been  i-.ngers  and  trap- 
pers in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Among  th°se  was 
one  whose  name  was  to  become  linked  with  Ore- 
gon history  in  many  ways,  and  who  had  been 
especially  distinguished  for  bold  and  fearless  ad- 
ventures among  the  Indians  in  the  Rocky  Moun 


28o 


M I  SSI  ON  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


tains  for  many  years,  but  who,  in  1840,  had  found 
his  way  down  from  the  mountains  and  taken  up  his, 
residence  on  one  of  the  beautiful  plains  of  the 
lower  Willamette  Valley.  In  the  midst  of  the  gra- 
cious excitement  of  the  hour,  turning  to  the  mis- 
sionaries he  joyfully  exclaimed:  "Tell  everybody 
you  see  that  Joseph  Meek,  that  old  Rocky  Moun- 
tain sinner,  has  turned  to  the  Lord."  If  subse- 
(|uently  he  did  not  prove  faithful  to  the  purpose 
and  profession  of  that  day,  it  marked  the  hallowed  , 
power  that  rested  on  the  spot  and  people,  and 
doubtless  also  the  loftiest  tide  of  .spiritual  life  that 
ever  touched  the  soul  of  J.  L.  Meek.  The  min- 
isters present  at  the  meeting  were  Jason  Lae,  H. 
K.  W.  Perkins.  G.  Hines.  A.  F.  Waller  and' 
David  Leslie,  of  the  Methodist  Mission,  and 
Harvey  Clark,  a  Presbyterian.  Probably 
few  meetingjs  ever  held  have  produced  a 
more  marked  effect  in  proportion  to  the 
members  present,  or  the  population  represent- 
ed in  them  than  this.  The  men  who  held  it  have 
all  long  since  gone  to  meet 

"On  the  eternal  camping-ground," 
and  probably  but  a  single  person  is  now  living  who 
was  present  on  that  occasion.     That  one  is  a  noble 

Christian  lady,  Mrs.  Ann  Edwards,  of  Newberg, 
Oregon,  who  is  now  in  the  first  splendor  of  the 
vellow  autumn  of  a  lovelv  Christian  life,  and  is  be- 


TRIALS  AND  TRIUMPHS. 


28t 


lieved  to  be  the  first  white  female  born  in  the  old 
Oregon  who  is  now  living.  She  was  born  in 
1840,  and  her  mother,  Mrs.  Baldra,  was  one  of 
the  converts  of  that  "first  camp-meeting"  under 
the  oaks  and  firs  of  Tualatin  Plains.  The  camp 
meeting  and  her  mother's  conversion  at  it,  are  al- 
most the  first  aistinct  memory  of  Mrs.  Edward's 
life.  It  is  not  only  her  first,  but  her  most  cher- 
ished memory.  Thus  the  deeds  of  these  pioneer 
missionaries  in  that  far  back  day,  and  among  the 
few  of  that  day  in  Oregon,  are  perpetuated  in  the 
very  region  where  they  endured  so  much  and 
wrought  so  well.  They  have  all  passed  into  the 
life  beyond,  and  have  long  been  resting  from  their 
labors,  but  "their  works  do  follow  them." 


\-\  :. 


ivo: 


XIV. 

CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS. 


"Clouds  and  darkuess  are  around  about  him," 
-,  — David. 

WITH  all  the  evidences  of  enlargement  in  the 
work  and  purposes  of  the  Mission  noted  in 
the  last  chapter,  there  were  causes  at  work  as  early 
as  the  close  of  1842,  which,  to  many  minds,  boded 
disaster  to  its  interests,  and  to  all  indicated  a  rap 
idly  approaching  and  radical  change  in  its  scope 
and  work.  These  causes  were  operating  on  both 
sides  of  the  continent;  in  the  minds  and  convic- 
tions of  the  church  in  the  east,  and  here  in  the  bodv 
of  the  Mission  itself.  Nor  was  this  all.  White 
faces  were  taking  the  place  of  red.  The  Mission- 
ary Board  and  the  church  at  home  felt  that  they 
were  waiting  long  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indian 
tribes.  A  number  of  the  missionaries  in  the  field 
felt  that  their  work  here  was  not  producing  the  ef- 
fects among  the  Indians  that  they  anticipated,  and 
were  unwilling  to  work  longer  without  more  deci- 
sive and  tangible  evidences  of  success.  Of  course 
the  dissatisfaction  of  those  in  the  field  soon  com 
municated    itself   to   members   of   the    Missionarx 


CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS. 


283 


Board,  and  increased  the  unrest  there.  These 
causes  had  been  operating  to  a  greater  or  less  ex- 
tent from  the  arrival  of  the  "great  reinforcement" 
in  1840,  and  as  they  reached  a  point  that  culmin- 
ated in  a  great  change  in  1844,  it  is  well  that  we 
consider  them  here. 

First,  it  is  to  be  observed  that  from  the  spring 
of  1838  to  that  of  1843,  changes  that  have  hardly 
a  parallel  in  the  history  of  races  had  occurred  in 
the  Willamette  Valley.  There  the  Indian  race  had 
practically  melted  away.  Those  for  whom  Mr. 
Lee  and  his  co-laborers  had  come  to  labor,  and  if 
need  be  to  die,  had  themselves  died,  and  left  him 
and  his  helpers  standing  in  tiie  ashes  of  the  harvest 
field  swept  as  by  fire. 

The  changes  were  sudden  and  mighty.  The  vast 
number  of  natives  seen  by  Lewis  and  Clarke  along 
the  shores  of  the  Columbia  and  the  Willamette  had 
disappeared  before  the  glance  of  coming  civiliza- 
tion like  frost  before  the  sun.  That  they  were 
here,  that  they  had  been  iiere  for  ages,  is  incon- 
testable. The  evidences  wore  everywhere.  The 
deposits  of  their  ancient  camj^s,  huge  shell  heaps 
the  refuse  of  their  kitchens,  pestles  and  mortars, 
arrow  heads  and  many  other  stone  implements 
found  everywhere  from  sea  coast  to  mountain 
peaks,  on  1-  ■   s  and  in  deep  forests  overgrovvn  by 


? 

^ 

^ 

WF^ 

111 

?  Ml 

i.  •■■■:■■■ 

:-   '  I'. 

if. 

i.i 

1' 

'ii 

h 

ii 

r 

■  1? 

•  i.^ . 

Ill 

[{'  •i 

i 


f ' 


i  if 


if! 


2<y^ 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY 


trees  centuries  old,  in  alluvial  banks  that  it  took 
ages  for  rivers  and  seas  to  build,  are  among  the  in- 
dubitable records  that  demonstrate  it.  These  tribes 
or  nations  were  innumerable,  and  distinctly 
marked  in  mental  and  physical  characteristics  and 
tongues.  Most  had  evidently  perished,  but  those 
that  remained  retained  their  old  distinctions  even 
when  nations  had  degenerated  into  tribes,  tribes  to 
clans  and  clans  had  dwindled  to  families.  The 
language  of  one  tribe  or  clan  could  not  be  under- 
stood by  another,  though  their  rude  dwellings 
were  separated  only  by  a  river's  flow.  Without  a 
literature  or  a  language  that  could  be  made  the 
vehicle  of  a  literature,  they  were  as  a  body  incom- 
petent to  receive  and  assimilate  mentally  and  spir- 
itually a  lettered  faith. 

Obvious  as  these  facts  were  to  the  more  discern- 
ing of  the  missionaries,  they  were  not  so  to  all. 
Nor  were  they  understood  by  the  churches  and  the 
Missionary  Board.  They  had  them  to  learn,  and 
it  was  a  rude,  hard  lesson  that  they  had  to  master. 
The  two  great  missionary  societies  of  America  had 
to  learn  it.  They  did  not  learn  it  willingly.  It 
stumbled  their  enthusiasts.  It  discredited  the  vis- 
ions of  the  dreamers.  Perhaj)s  they  could  not, 
Certainly  it  was  not  until  the  men  who  had  been 
God's  foremost  providences  in  solving  the  mighty 


CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS. 


285 


riddle  that  men  three  thousand  miles  away  could 
not  solve  had  been  made  martyrs  for  a  failure  to  do 
the  impossible  or  to  avert  the  inevitable  that  they 
began  to  understand  that  there  was  an  element 
in  such  prolilems  that  cannot  be  solved  by  an  ac- 
countant's figures  in  a  missionary  office  in   New 
York  or  Boston,  or  by  figures  of  rhetoric  on  a  mis 
sionary  platform  by  eloquent   orators  and  fervid 
declainiers.     Five  years  are  nothing-  in  a  mission- 
ary   field,    ten    years   are    nothing,    twenty    years 
were  needed  before  the  first  term  in  the  mighty 
equasion  could  be  discovered,  and  that  could  only 
be  discerned  by  the  men  in  close  personal  wrestle 
with  the  question  on  the  field  where  the  problem 
was  to  be  wrought  out,  if  it  were  ever  solved  at  all. 
These  men  could  never  tell  all  they  knew;   could 
never  reveal  all  tli?y  feared  or  felt.     Could  Judson 
tell  the  church  at  home  all  the  struggles,  all  the 
heartaches  that  made  him  an  old  man  at  thirty- 
five  in  the  jungles  of  Burma?     Could  Whitman  re- 
veal all  the  direful  apprehensions  that  shadowed 
his  heart  and  the  heart  of  his  noble  wife  as  he  saw 
hjs  best  work  trampled  to  ashes  Ijefore  his  eyes, 
and  felt  the  ever  increasing  menace  that  boded  per- 
sonal destruction  'darkening  over  him''  Could  Lee 
be  expected  to  publish   to  the  world  what  with 
most  heart-breaking  anguish  he  saw  and  felt  of  the 


iliM 


i 


'  f 


286 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


'  i. 


1 


irresponsive  natures  of  the  people  for  whose  salva 
tion  he  was  pouring  out  the  sacrifice  and  love  of  his 
gre?  nature  and  longing,  the  richest  treasures  of 
his  heart,  a  costly  offering  on  the  altar  of  their  re- 
demption? No!  they  could  not;  they  ought  not. 
They  could  do  and  die  and  leave  no  sign  of  fear. 
They  were  men  to  be  trusted,  and  in  proportion  as 
they  were  trusted  in  the  field  into  which  the  church 
had  been  but  the  voice  of  God's  providence  in 
thrusting  them,  the  cause  that  had  been  com- 
mitted to  them  at  the  first  was  vindicated  at  the 
last.  '  • 

There  was  another  occasion  of  dissatisfaction, 
though  it  grew  largely  out  of  the  same  general 
condition  that  produced  the  former.  Tn  the  opin- 
ion of  some  the  mission  was  encumbered  by  too 
much  secular  business.  Mills,  farms,  stock,  and 
stores  seemed  to  them  as  proper  to  be  connected 
with  a  mission  only  under  the  pressure  of  abso- 
solute  necessity,  and  that  as  soon  as  that  necessity 
was  over  they  should  be  separated  from  all  such 
association.  Thus,  whatever  there  was  of  difficul- 
ty in  the  situation  found  its  way  to  the  Missionary 
Board  either  by  the  ex-parte  representations  of 
some  who  had  left  the  field,  or  by  communications 
from  .some  in  the  field. 

Whether  these  representations  were  designed  to 


vnllfif- 


CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS. 


287 


(1  to 


do  so  or  not,  they  all  inevitably  reacted  against  the 
position  and  authority  of  the  superintendent.     His 
own  time  was  necessarily  largely  occupied  with  the 
care  of  the  business  interests  of  the  mission,  and  in 
these  interests  so, many  individuals  were  involved 
that  it  was  impossible  that  every  one  should  find 
every  thing  was  done  according  to  his  own  views 
of  the  best  or  the  expedient.     Those  who  advo- 
cated the  policy  of  closing  up  the  secular  depart- 
ment of  the  mission  immediately  at  whatever  sac- 
rifice, and  making  it,  as  they  were  accustomed  to 
say,  "a  purely  spiritual  work,"  complained  of  the 
superintendent  because  he  could  not  act  according 
to  their  views.     Whatever  would  have  been  his 
opinion  and  course  if  the  question  had  been  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  mission  in  1843,  in  the  then  cur- 
rent conditions  in  Oregon,  the  question  was  a  very 
different  one  when  it  related  to  a  mission  establish- 
ed in  1834,  and  compelled  by  the  conditions  of  the 
country  to  adopt  a  policy  tliat  necessarily  involved 
the  establishment  of  every  branch  of  business  need- 
ful to  its  own  preservation  and  comfort.     It  was  an 
arrangement,   too,  deliberately  confirmed  by  the 
Missionary  Board  in  1839,  when  that  body  sent  out 
the  "great  reinforcement"  furnished  with  every  fa- 
cility for  self-support  in  their  work  in  the  very  way 
that  thev  carried  it  onward.    This  missionarv  com- 


\  ' 


-pj 

m 


vm' 


288 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


■i    ii 


pany,  which  was  also  with  the  full  knowledge  of 
the  Board  and  by  the  privity  and  support  of  the 
general  government  an  American  colony  as  well, 
was  furnished  with  machinery  for  both  flouri 
and  saw  mills,  with  merchandise  for  its  own  needs, 
and  with  everything  that  would  make  it  able  to 
sustain  itself  both  as  a  mission  and  a  colony 
wheOier  it  had  the  active  support  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  the  only  ones  in  the  country  who 
had  mills  and  merchandise  and  the  etceteras  of  civ- 
ilized comfort  to  furnish  even  a  single  wayfarer 
with  any  comfort,  or  not.  The  arrangement  was 
the  only  thing  that  rendered  it  possible  for  that 
first  body  of  American  people  to  fix  themselves  in 
the  country  even  for  a  temporary  sojourn,  and  the 
most  important  single  act  ever  performed  affect- 
ing the  future  American  history  of  the  Northwest 
Coast  was  the  establishment  of  the  mission  on  this 
independent  basis  by  the  Missionary  Board  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  under  the  advice  and 
management  of  Jason  Lee  in  1839.  It  was  the 
legitimate  and  logical  outcome  of  his  appointment 
in  1833  as  superintendent  of  the  first  mission  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  However,  had  he  be- 
lieved it  desirable  to  make  the  modifications  that 
some  of  his  fellow  laborers  in  the  field  so  urgently 
demanded  it  was  impossible  to  do  so  immediately 


CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS. 


28g 


in  the  condition  of  the  country  at  that  time.  Be- 
sides no  one  could  tell  what  a  few  months  or  a  few 
years  would  bring  forth,  and  it  was  only  wisdom 
and  prudence  to  wait  for  the  guidings  of  provi- 
dence. 

Of  course  the  departure  of  several  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  mission  for  the  east,  the  complaints  of 
others,  the  decline  of  the  Indian  work,  and  added 
to  all  this  the  knowledge  that  the  church  in  the 
east,  and  even  the  Missionary  Board,  were  impa- 
tient that  a  nation  had  not  "been  born  in  a  day" 
into  Christian  life  and  civilization  out  of  the  lowest 
degradation  and  the  deepest  ignorance,  was  a 
great  burden  and  trial  to  the  heart  of  the  superin- 
tendent. Still  his  own  faith  did  not  waver  nor  his 
zeal  decline.  We  find  him  saying  on  August  12. 
1843  i»  ^  letter  to  the  Board: —  ' 

"With  all  the  discouragements  which  I  encoun- 
ter, I  feel  it  to  be  a  duty  to  God  and  the  Board 
to  say  that  my  interest  in  the  Oregon  Mission  is 
not  in  the  least  abated,  and  unless  compelled  to  do 
so  I  could  no  more  abandon  it  now  than  I  could 
the  first  day  I  laid  myself  on  the  missionary  altar. 
Oregon  is  still  of  infinite  importance  as  a  field  for 
missionary  operations  among  the  Indians." 

Two  months  later,  with  more  comprehensive- 
ness and  emphasis  than  in  the  previous  letter  he 
says  in  another  to  the  Board: — 

"On  ojie  point   I   have  not   the  shadow   of  a 


i  • :  i. 


'  ,  I 


i 


2go 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


doubt,  namely,  that  the  growth  and  spread,  the 
rise,  glory  and  triumph  of  Methodism  in  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley  are  destined  to  be  commensurate 
with  the  growth,  rise  and  prosperity  of  our  now 
infant  but  flourishing  and  rapidly  increasing  settle- 
ments. Such  is  the  adaptation  of  Oregon  soil  to 
the  genius  of  Methodism,  and  such  the  fruit  she 
has  already  produced  in  this  country,  that  I  am 
persuaded  that  she  is  destined  to  flourish  here  in 
spite  of  all  the  chilling  blasts  of  adversity  that  can 
blow  against  her.  I  cannot  conclude  without  say- 
ing that  there  is  the  best  state  of  feeling  among 
our  people  that  has  existed  since  our  arrival  in 
1840:  and  the  emigrants  are  perfectly  surprised 
to  see  the  religious  state  of  this  country." 

These  were  splendid  and  confident  words  and 
they  were  justified.     A  great  change  had  come 
over  the  country  and  the  mission  in  a  few  weeks. 
Those  members  of  the  mission  whose  complaints 
had  been  the  loudest,  and  who  by  feeble  health  or 
constitutional  inadaptibility  to  the  work  in  such 
a  field  as  Oregon,  had.  at  their  own  request,  been 
discharged  by  the  superintendent  and  returned  tv) 
the  east.     They  had  done  what  they  could,  and  had 
no  purpose  of  being  unfaithful,  but  the  work  of 
such  a  mission  in  such  a  region  as  Oregon  was  too 
hard  and  difficult  for  them,  and  both  the  superin- 
tendent and  the  Board  for  that  reason  approved 
their    retirement.      This    had    been    a    relief,    for 
though  their  departure  had  decreased  thC' number 


CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS. 


2(^1 


ill       *  !! 


of  the  missionaries  it  left  a  much  higher  average 
of  abihty  to  work  in  the  field. 

Besides  this,  a  very  large  immigration,  not  much 
less  than  i.ooo  people,  with  flocks  and  herds  and 
other  material  possessions,  was  at  this  moment  en- 
tering Oregon  from  the  States,  and  was  spreading 
itself  over  the  Willamette  Valley.  Among  them 
were  many  Christian  famililes.  several  Methodist 
local  preachers,  and  a  large  number  of  educated 
and  aspiring  men  of  the  various  professions. 

The  influence  of  these  facts  on  the  mission  in 
Oregon  was  very  cheering,  and  if  the  Missionary 
Board  had  been  in  Oregon  instead  of  New  York, 
wdiere  it  could  have  felt  the  influence  of  these  facts, 
the  history  of  missionary  work  in  Oregon  would 
have  been  a  very  different  one  from  that  we  shall 
need  to  record  in  some  subsequent  pages.  But 
New  York  was  six  months  away,  and  hence,  practi- 
cally the  Board  was  always  acting  on  a  state  of 
facts  that  had  entirely  passed  away  before  they 
W'cre  called  to  act  upon  them. 

Here,  indeed,  was  the  occasion,  if  not  the  cause 
of  an  apparent  conflict  of  action  between  the  Mis- 
sionary Board  and  tiie  Oregon  Mission.  They 
could  not  see  alike  because  their  points  of  view 
w^ere  so  widely  separated.  Interchanges  of  opin- 
ion and  statements  of  facts  could  pass  between  the 


\ 


1 :  iii: 


M 1  )i  r  \ 


[ 


I 

1 

11 

1 

p^ 

.  \- 

I 


f  ; 


i' 


W 


2^2 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  K. 


parties  but  once  a  year.  If  complaints  ajj^ainst 
the  policy  of  the  superintendent  were  sent  to  the 
Board  from  Oregon  it  was  a  year  and  a  half  after 
they  were  written  before  the  Board  could  inform 
him  of  them  and  obtain  his  reply  to  them.  They 
had  emphatically  to  "walk  by  faith  and  not  by 
sight."  After  the  Board  had  taken  action  on  any 
given  subject  relating  to  the  Mission,  ^\c\\  if  it 
was  of  the  most  radical  character,  no  change  could 
be  made  to  harmonize  the  mission  with  that  action 
for  many  months.  Hence  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
Board  .ind  the  mission  seemed  often  at  cross  pur- 
poses when  they  were  really  one  in  intention. 

Mr.  Lee  was  fully  intent  on  fulfilling  the  vis- 
ion that  had  long  ago  come  to  him  of  an  American 
civilization  spreading  itself  down  the  western 
slopes  of  the  continent,  over  all  the  broad  reaches 
of  fertile  lands  that  looked  towards  the  Pacific. 
He  saw  how  the  means  and  energy  that  providence 
had  put  within  his  command  under  the  Missionary 
Board  should  be  used  to  secure  that  fulfillment. 
But  to  many  people  in  the  far  east  it  looked  noth- 
ing better  than  a  waste  of  men  and  treasures. 
Nor.  as  we  have  observed,  did  all  the  men  about 
him  see  with  his  vision.  Not  many  men  can  read 
the  future  in  the  horizon  of  to-day,  and  those  who 
can  are.  may  be,  impractical  dreamers.     Dullness 


!        I 


against 

to  the 
ilf  after 

inform 
They 

not  by 

on  any 
en  if  it 
re  could 
It  action 
that  the 
■OSS  pur- 
)n. 

;  the  vis- 
^nierican 

western 
d  reaches 
t  Pacific, 
rovidence 
lissionary 
iltillment. 
ked  notii- 
treasures. 
nen  about 
1  can  read 
those  who 
Dulhiess 


K;J 


I  i 


m 


CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS. 


293 


and  shortness  of  vision  in  others  often  stumbles 
and  destroys  the  wisest  plans  of  the  prescient  and 
discerning.  It  is  so  in  the  nation.  It  is  so  in  the 
church.  It  has  been  so  in  all  human  history.  It 
was  so  in  the  Oregon  Mission.  It  was  so  in  the 
Missionary  Board. 

This  state  of  things  culminated,  of  course,  in 
such  a  want  of  harmony  that  on  the  19th  day  of 
July,  1843,  the  Missionary  Board  recommended  to 
the  Bishop  having  charge  of  Foreign  Missions  the 
appointment  of  an  agent  to  proceed  to  Oregon 
and  examine  into  the  condition  and  prospects  of 
the  Mission,  or,  if  he  chose  that,  the  appointment 
of  a  new  superintendent.  Not  long  thereafter  it 
was  announced  that  Rev.  George  Gary,  of  the 
Black  River  Conference,  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  State  of  New  ^"ork,  had  been  appointed  by 
Bishop  Hedclini'-  to  supersede  Mr.  Lee  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  ( )regon  Mission. 

If  this  was  to  be  done  at  all  it  is  probable  that 
the  whole  church  might  have  been  canvassed  and 
no  man  have  been  found  more  worthy  of  the  high 
trust  that  was  thus  conferred  upon  him  than  was 
George  (iary.  He  was  already  past  middle  age. 
His  powers  had  ripened  on  the  broadest  field  of  ex- 
perience afforded  by  the  church  next  to  the  Episco- 
pacy itself,  and  for  that  he  had  received  in  some 


294 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


General  Conferences  a  large  support.  He  was  a 
presiding  elder  at  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  on 
responsible  districts  he  had  spent  the  most  of  his 
ministerial  life.  All  the  knowledge  that  a  clear 
headed  and  pure  hearted  man  could  gain  on  such 
fields  as  he  had  wrought  to  fit  him  for  such  an  un- 
tried field  as  Oregon  presented  he  had  secured. 
He  was  a  preacher  and  orator  of  transcendent  abil- 
ity, an  administrator  of  decision  and  acumen,  and  a 
Christian  of  the  most  approved  Johannian  type. 
When  his  appointment  was  announced  the  whole 
church  felt  that  her  interests,  the  work  of  the  mis- 
sion, and  the  reputation  and  interests  of  the  men 
whose  personal  and  ecclesiastical  destiny  was  put 
into  his  hands  were  safe.  It  was  a  great  faith,  but 
he  was  worthy  of  it. 

Mr.  Gary  was  given  plenipotentiary  powers  in  re- 
gard to  all  the  interests  of  the  mission,  and  even 
the  destiny  of  the  missionaries  themselves.  To 
efiFectiveness  of  administration  this  was  necessary. 
Oregon  was  a  half  year's  journey  from  New  York. 
Consultation  with  the  Bishops  of  the  Missionary 
Board  was  impossible.  Of  course  he  was 
thoroughly  cognizant  of  the  views  entertained  by 
them,  but  he  was  bound  by  these  views  no  further 
than  they  would  exert  a  moral  infiuence  over  him, 
Certainly  this  would  be  considerable  even  if  not 


irrr 


Tflfi 


CLOUDS  AND  DARKNESS. 


295 


controlling,  and  it  is  only  reasonalDle  to  suppose 
that  he  left  New  York  thinking  tlieir  thoughts 
after  them.  With  these  vast  powers  confided  in 
him,  with  the  unbounded  confidence  of  the  church 
to  sustain  him,  he  left  New  York  for  Oregon  by. 
the  way  of  Cape  Horn  in  the  autumn  of  1843,  to 
enter  on  the  delicate  and  difficult  work  of  the  re- 
adjustment and  reorganization  of  the  "Oregon 
Mission."  While  he  is  performing  his  six  months 
voyage  we  will  resume  the  story  of  events  in  Ore- 


i  •  ^  1  i ! 


li":. 


,I-  t  V 


mi^ 


( 


I       I 


!     I 


w 


•:  XV. 

LEE  RETURNS  TO  THE  EAST. 
HILE  the  events  recorded  at  the  close  of  the 


last  chapter  were  occurring  in  New  York, 
Mr.  Lee  and  his  companions  and  helpers  were  car- 
rying forward  the  real  work  of  the  mission  as  best 
they  could  in  Oregon.  Only  a  single  one  of  the 
stations  among  the  Indians  had  been  abandoned. 
After  most  faithful  efforts  on  the  part  of  Dr.  Rich- 
mond and  Mr.  W.  H.  Willson  and  his  wife,  with  all 
the  encjouragement  the  superintendent  could  give 
them,  it  was  decided  that  such  were  the  character- 
istics of  the  Indians,  and  such  the  influences  ar- 
rayed against  its  success  by  the  Roman  Catholic 
missionaries,  supported  by  the  contiguous  post  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  that  Nesqually,  on 
Puget  Sound,  should  be  given  up.  It  was  occording- 
ly  abandoned.  Dr.  Richmond  and  his  family  had 
embarked  for  the  States,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willson 
had  returned  to  the  Willamette  station,  where  it 
was  believed  they  could  be  much  more  usefully  em- 
ployed. In  the  Willamette  Valley  Mr.  Waller  was 
yet  at  The  Falls,  laboriously  employed  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  new  church,  in  preaching  to  the 


*^TTT|'MriP' 


)f  the 

2  car- 

3  best 
)f  the 
oned. 
Rich- 
ith  all 
I  give 
■acter- 
:es  ar- 
ithoUc 

)OSt  of 

lly,  on 
)r  ding- 
ily had 
Villson 
here  it 
lly  em- 
ler  was 
tie  con- 
to  the 


T 

^  **P" 

^L 

EM^i 

1  ill ' 

niiii 

SB  ^K  R  \M  i  1 

■  ^^K  ^B  n 'iSi^ 

^    ■      i\ 

fl  ini 

^  -'    '^^- 

In 

KEV.  J.  L.  rAlllllSll. 


T-^  '-T^r^ 


LEE  RETURNS  TO  THE  EAST 


297 


whites  of  the  growing  settlement  and  in  visiting 
and  instructing  the  Indians  along  the  Willamette 
and  Clackamas  rivers.  At  Chemekete,  where  the  su- 
perintendent resided,  Mr.  Hines  was  conducting 
the  Indian  Manual  Labor  School  and  preaching  as 
occasion  offered  to  the  whites  there  and  at  the  "Old 
Mission."  At  The  Dalles — Wascopam — Mr.  Dan- 
iel Lee  and  H.  K.  W.  Perkins  were  prosecuting 
their  work  in  their  usual  energetic  and  successful 
manner  among  the  Indian  clans  residing  along  the 
Columbia  from  the  Cascades  eastward  for  a  hundred 
miles.  They  were  ably  sustained  in  their  work  by 
Mr.  H.  B.  Brewer,  who  had  charge  of  the  mission 
farm  and  all  the  secular  interests  of  the  mission. 
At  Clatsop  Rev.  J.  H.  Frost  was  just  closing  up 
his  work  and  following  his  former  associate  in  it, 
Rev.  W.  VV.  Kone,  eastward, and  Rev.  J.  L.  Parrish 
was  entering  on  the  charge  of  the  mission  at  that 
place.  In  the  secular  department,  W.  W.  Ray- 
mond and  family  were  at  Clatsop,  George  Aber- 
nethy  had  charge  of  the  Mission  Store  at  The 
Falls,  Hamilton  Campbell  was  at  Chemekete  use- 
fully employed  in  connection  with  the  mills,  school 
and  other  secular  interests,  as  were  also  W.  H. 
Willson  and  L.  H.  Judson,  while  H.  B.  Brewer,  the 
only  remaining  layman  who  had  come  to  the  coun- 
try under  appointment  of  the  Missionary  Board, 


fe'J  '7.  9 


i'i 


mM 


rv 


1 

: 

' 

I 

j  : 

, 

i 

1 

1 
^ 

^ 

i          : 

■ 

i 

i         I 

29S 


MISS  ION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  V. 


was,  as  we  have  stated,  connected  with  the  work 
at  The  Dalles.  Dr.  Ira  L.  Babcock  had  taken  his 
family  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  for  the  benefit  of 
their  health,  and  Rev.  James  Olley  had  been 
drowned  in  the  Willamette  River,  a  few  miles 
above  Chemekete.  on  the  nth  of  December,  1842. 
Mr.  Olley  was  a  local  preacher,  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  who  came  out  with  the  company  of  1839, 
and  had  served  the  mission  faithfully  and  well.  The 
sad  manner  of  his  death  cast  a  gloom  over  the  mis- 
sionary band  and  the  little  American  community 
surrounding  it.  His  widow,  a  most  amiable  and  de- 
voted Christian  lady,  afterwards  became  the  wife  of 
Rev.  David  Leslie,  and  to  a  beautiful  old  age  illus- 
trated the  christian  character  and  life  in  the  society 
of  the  capital  of  Oregon. 

During  the  spring  of  1843  Rev.  David  Leslie 
who  had  been  absent  some  months  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands  for  the  purpose  of  putting  his  daughters  in 
school,  returned  to  his  work  in  the  mission.  The 
elder  of  the  two  found  the  climate  debilitating  to 
her  and  soon  entered  a  rapid  decline,  and  during 
the  month  of  October  she  peacefully  passed  away 
and  her  remains  were  buried  m  the  cemetery  of  the 
.Sandwich  Island  Mission.  Thus  within  a  few  months 
three  of  the  five  daughters  of  this  devoted  mission- 
ary, under  most  afflictive  circumstances,  had  been 


LEE  RETURNS  TO   THE  EAST. 


299 


called  away,  but  still  with  a  characteristic  steadfast- 
ness the  father  continued  his  missionary  work 
among  the  broken  tribes  and  scattered  whites  of 
Oregon.     Braver  work  never  man  did. 

Rev.  Daniel  Lee,  with  his  family,  on  the  14th  of 
August,  had-  embarked  for  Boston.  His  mission- 
ary career  was  of  a  most  devoted  and  honorable 
character.  He  was  the  nephew  of  Jason  Lee,  and  a 
little  more  than  three  years  his  junior.  Daniel  was 
a  member  of  the  New  England  Conference  when 
his  uncle  was  appointed  missionary  to  Oregon,  and 
was  chosen  by  the  latter  to  accompany  him  on  his 
journey  to  that  then  utterly  unknown  region  and 
assist  him  in  the  great,  though  unknown  work  that 
he  had  been  appointed  to  undertake.  Young, 
strong,  courageous,  indomitable  and  practical,  no 
better  helper  could  have  been  selected.  He  was  a 
great  admirer  of  the  character  and  abilities  of  his 
uncle,  and  having  been  associated  with  him 
through  all  their  early  manhood,  not  only  did  not 
hesitate  to  unite  his  destinies  with  those  of  the  man 
he  so  much  loved  and  revered,  but  rejoiced  in  the 
opportunity  of  doing  so.  The  reader  has  seen 
him  appear  so  often  and  in  such  important  and  val- 
uable services  in  the  preceding  pages  that  it  is  not 
necessary  to  lengthen  remarks  concerning  his  work 
in  Oregon.     The  mission  at  Wascopam  which  was 


'    Ml? '  1  *f  \ 

1 

II'JmH''^ 

i 

!■        1 

i 


«!™ 

'a' 

IS'  ■'  ■  % 

HI  ' 

V''' 

\'l. 

rk 

JOO 


MJSS/ONAR ) '  H/S  TOR  \ 


Wi 


under  his  superintendence  from  its  establishment 
in  1838  to  the  time  he  left  the  country  in  1843,  was 
the  most  successful  of  all  the  Methodist  Indian  Mis- 
sions.    Although  Mr.  Lee  from  the  beginning;  had 
the  very  zealous  and  pious  help  of  Mr.  Perkins,  and 
subsequently  of  Mr.  Brewer,  and  the  wives  of  all  of 
them,  yet  he  was  the  responsible  head  of  the  mis- 
sion, and  in  all  respects  showed  himself  equal  to  the 
demands  of  the  work.     After  leaving  Oregon  he 
spent  some  time  in  New  England  in  the  regular 
work  of  the  conference,  and  then  located  and  re- 
moved to  Ohio,  subsequently  to  Caldwell,  Kansas, 
and  afterwards  to  Oklahama.  where  he  died  about 
1895.     He  was  a  pioneer  essentially  and  constitu- 
tionally.    To  the  last  of  his  life  he  cherished  a  deep 
interest  in  the  work  he  did  so  much  to  found  in  Ore- 
gon, and  longed  in  his  old  age  to  visit  the  scenes 
of  his  early  exposures   and   trials.     His   memory 
should  be  sacredly  cherished  by  the  land  for  which 
he  toiled  so  earnestly  and  faithfully. 

In  the  autumn  of  1843  Mr.  Jason  Lee  decided 
that  the  changed  condition  of  the  country,  as  we 
have  noted  in  the  preceding  chapter,  necessitated 
such  modifications  in  the  work  of  the  mission  that 
he  would  not  only  be  justified  in  returning  to  the 
States  to  represent  the  situation  before  the  Mis- 
sionary Board,  but  that  it  was  his  dutv  to  do  so. 


^^P««^|i   M     I    <p  IPI, 


LEK  RETURNS  TO  THE  EAST. 


J<>^ 


Besides  he  had  become  aware  in  some  way  of  the 
fact  that  the  I'oard  (Hd  not  comprehend  the  true 
rehition  of  the  mission  to  the  settlement'  of  the 
country,  nor  understand  the  vital  importance  of 
continuing  unchang'ed  the  policy  that  had  been  so 
deliberately  adopted,  at  least  until  the  history  of 
Orej^on  had  more  clearly  developed  itself.  To  ex- 
plain these  (juestions  by  letter  so  that  the  Board 
would  understand  them  as  he  did.  he  feared  could 
not  be  done.  Besides  he  was  exceeding'ly  sensi- 
tive to  all  {|uestions  of  personal  honor,  and  any  in- 
timation of  a  wrong,  or  even  an  unwise  use  of  the 
means  the  Missionary  Board  had  committed  to  his 
care  was  enough  to  make  him  journey  round  the 
world  to  rectify  it.  Considering  the  state  of  things 
here,  and  the  ability  of  the  men  who  would  be  left 
to  care  for  it,  he  felt  that  the  work  in  Oregon 
would  take  no  harm  during  his  absence. 

About  the  ist  of  November  it  was  announced 
that  the  English  bark  Columbia  was  about  to  sail 
from  Vancouver  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  Mr. 
Lee  engaged  passage  on  her  for  himself,  his  little 
daughter,  and  Rev.  G.  Hines  and  wife,  who  had 
taken  the  charge  of  Mr.  Lee's  daughter  from  the 
time  of  her  mother's  death,  wdien  the  child  was  but 
three  weeks  old,  and  with  whom  Mr.  Lee  had  also 
made   his   residence   from  about   the   same    time. 


302 


MISS  ION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


Their  intention  was  to  take  the  first  opportunity  at 
the  Islands  to  proceed  to  the  east.  Before  embark 
ing^  Mr.  Lee  appointed  Rev.  David  LesHe  superin- 
tendent of  the  Mission.  The  ship  crossed  the  bar 
of  the  Columbia  and  took  her  course  for  the  harbor 
of  Honolulu  on  the  3d  day  of  February,  1844. 

On  the  departure  of  Mr.  Lee  the  work  in  the 
mission  was  adjusted  as  follows:  David  Leslie, 
superintendent,  and  preacher  for  the  Willamette 
settlement;  Alvan  F.  Waller.  Willamette  Falls, 
and  missionary  to  the  Indians  in  that  vicinity;  FL 
K.  W.  Perkins,  Wascopam;  J.  L.  Parrish,  Clatsop. 
The  last  two  were  the  only  exclusive  Indian  sta- 
tion now  occupied.  The  laymen  were  distributed 
amonii^  the  several  stations  according  to  the  needs 
of  the  work  and  were  all  usefiUy  employed. 

The  voyage  to  Horo'vi'ii  occupied  twenty-five 
days.  Just  before  they  arrived  intelligence  reached 
the  Islands  that  Rev.  George  Gary  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  supersede  Mr.  Lee  as  Superintendent  of 
the  Oregon  Mission,  and  that  he  was  expected  at 
the  Islands  in  a  few  weeks  on  his  way  to  Oregon. 
This  intelligence  was  communicated  to  Mr.  Lee 
by  Dr.  Ira  L.  Babcock.  who  had  been  in  Honolulu 
for  a  few  months.  This  intelligence  caused  both 
Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Hines  to  hesitate  whether  to  pro- 
ceed on  their  voyage  or  remain  until  Mr.  Gary's  ar- 


-■ — T-T" 


IJiE  RETURNS  TO   THE  EAST.        303 

rival,  or  return  to  Oregon  and  await  his  arrival 
there.  As  no  opportunity  to  proceed  together  on 
the  voyage  was  likely  to  occur  for  some  months, 
and  a  small  Hawaiian  schooner  would  sail  the  next 
day  for  Mazatlan,  on  the  coast  of  Mexico,  they 
finally  decided  that  Mr.  Lee  would  take  the 
schooner  for  Mexico  and  thence  find  his  way  to 
New  York,  and  Mr.  Mines  and  family,  including 
the  little  daughter  of  Mr.  Lee,  would  take  the  brig 
Chenamus,  which  was  soon  to  .sail,  and  return  to 
Oregon. 

This  was  a  great  trial  to  Mr.  Lee.  This  daugh- 
ter he  looked  upon  as  his  earthly  all.  Mrs.  Hines 
had  received  the  child  at  the  death  of  its  mother  to 
care  for  her  as  long  as  Mr.  Lee  should  desire.  His 
friend,  and  the  foster-father  of  his  daughter,  ^^r. 
Hines,  makes  this  affecting  reference  to  the  separ- 
ation of  the  father  and  the  child  on  this  "Isle  of  the 
sea": 

"Mr.  Lee  looked  on  this,  his  only  child,  as  his 
earthly  all,  and  no  personal  consideration  would 
have  induced  him  to  leave  her  in  the  care  of  others 
on  an  island  in  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  perform  a 
hazardous  journey  to  the  other  side  of  the  globe, 
with  but  little  prospect  of  ever  again  beholding  his 
beloved  daughter.  But  with  a  heart  as  affection- 
ate as  ever  beat  in  the  breast  of  a  man  Mr.  Lee 
never  allowed  his  personal  feelings  to  control  his 
action  when  they  opposed  themselves  to  the  call  of 
duty.  In  his  opinion  it  was  the  voice  of  duty  that 
called  him  to  tear  himself  from  all  he  held  dear  on 


!     . 


■  I 

II 

■j-l 

r 

|| 

HIN^ 


,:S?I 


304 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


earth,  and  return  to  his  native  land.  Accordingly 
on  the  28th  of  February,  after  tenderly  committing 
his  motherless  child  to  the  care  of  the  writer  and 
his  compaion  he  was  conducted  to  the  "Hoaikai- 
ka,"  and  was  soon  wafted  from  the  shores  of  Hawaii 
towards  the  Mexican  coast." 

According  to  arrangement  with  Mr.  Lee,  Mr. 
Hines  and  family,  and  Dr.  I.  L.  Babcock  and  fam- 
ily, who  were  returning  to  Oregon  to  resume  their 
places  in  the  mission,  left  Honolulu  on  the  3rd  of 
April  on  the  Chenamus,  and  after  a  voyage  jf 
twenty  days  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
River,  and  soon  thereafter  reached  "The  Falls,  ' 
which  by  this  time  began  to  be  known  as  "Oregon 
City,"  and  resumed  their  missionary  work. 

On  the  6th  of  April  Mr.  Lee  landed  at  San  Bias, 
on  the  coast  of  Mexico,  and  immediately  pursued 
his  journey  towards  New  York.  His  route  was 
by  diligence  via  Guadalajarra  to  the  City  of 
?\Icxic().  and  thence  by  the  same  conveyance  to 
Vera  Cruz,  l^he  relations  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico  were  strained  on  account  of  the 
agitation  in  reference  to  the  annexation  of  Texas 
to  the  United  States,  and  at  Guadalajarra  all  Mr. 
Lee's  letters  and  papers  were  taken  from  him 
and  the  Mexican  authorities  threatened  to  impris- 
on him,  but  he  was  finally  permitted  to  proceed  on 
his  journey.     From  Vera  Cruz  he  took  the  packet 


LEE  RETURNS  TO  THE  EAST.        jos 


for  New  Orleans,  and  thence  by  steamboat  to  Pitts- 
burgh, by  stage  across  the  Allegheny  Mountains, 
and  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  27th  day  of  May, 
1844.  He  found  the  General  Conference  in  ses- 
sion, and  in  the  midst  of  the  great  debate  on  the 
Bishop  Andrew  case.  All  minds  were  filled  with 
that  and  for  the  time  would  open  to  nothing  else. 
No  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Board  could  be  had 
to  take  up  th :;  business  of  the  Oregon  Mission,  l)ut 
at  a  meeting  for  another  purpose  the  Board  re- 
quested Mr.  Lee  to  proceed  to  Washington  and 
before  the  Departments,  the  President,  and  the 
members  of  Congress,  attend  to  the  interests  of 
the  mission  claims  in  Oregon  and  to  other  import- 
ant interests  relating  to  the  Territory  that  had 
been  intrusted  to  him. 

The  reception  of  Mr.  Lee  at  Washington  was  of 
the  most  cordial  character.  The  President  and  all 
officers  of  the  government  gave  him  assurances 
that  the  affairs  of  Oregon  stood  in  good  case  be- 
fore Congress  and  were  sure  to  have  favorable  ac- 
tion at  no  remote  date.     He  writes,  however: 

"The  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  Union  was  the 
all-absorbing  question  the  latter  part  of  the  ses- 
sion. It  was  the  administration's  hobby,  but  it  has 
failed.  War  with  Mexico  was  anticipated  if  Texas 
was  annexed,  and  great  preparations  were  made, 
which  have  brought  lasting  anathemas  upon  the 


M;^' 


Vi 


■IP 


■■ 


I:m! 


m 


306 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  >". 


President.  An  Oregon  bill  will  probably  pass 
next  session,  but  if  not  next  session,  tbe  settlers  of 
Oregon  may  rest  assured  that  one  will  pass  soon. 
It  cannot  be  put  ofif  much  longer.  This  is  conce- 
ded even  by  the  opposition."  •         : 

Mr.  Lee's  visit  to  Washington  occupied  the  last 
half  of  June.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this  was 
during  the  last  year  of  the  administration  of  Mr. 
Tyler,  and  just  when  the  two  great  political  parties 
of  the  nation  were  aligning  themselves  for  the  con- 
flict of  the  coming  autumn.  One.  preparatory  to 
the  final  battle,  was  blazoning  on  its  banners  in  ref 
erence  to  the  Oregon  cjuestion,  "Fifty-four-forty 
or  fight!"  Near  this  legend  the  same  party  had 
set  the  "Lone  Star"  of  Texas.  These  were  the 
signs  by  which  that  party  swept  the  country  in  the 
elections  of  1844.  In  the  midst  of  the  excitement 
preceding  the  election  Mr.  Lee's  presence  in  Wash 
ington,  with  his  standing  as  the  actual  pioneer  of 
American  settlement  in  Oregon,  and  his  great  abil- 
ity in  influencing  the  minds  of  others,  was  a  very 
l)otent  power  for  the  good  of  O-egon.  and  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  wield  all  the  power  he  possessed 
for  the  land  that  he  loved  so  well. 

On  his  return  to  New  York  the  last  of  June.  Mr. 
Lee  sought  the  earliest  opportunity  *a  meei  the 
Missionary  Board  in  order  to  set  before  it  aii  tne 
facts  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  the  Oregon  Mis- 


LEE  RETURNS  TO  THE  EAST. 


307 


y    pass 

tiers  of 

s  soon. 

conce- 

-  ■-.-.  ,■  •■■' 

the  last 
his  was 
of  Mr. 
parties 
:he  con- 
it  or  y  to 
s  in  ref  ■ 
ur-forty 
irty  had 
;ere  the 
•y  in  the 
itement 
n  Wash- 
oneer  of 
eat  abil- 
,s  a  very 
(I  he  did 
lossessed 

une.  Mr. 
nee I  the 
it  aa  tne 
gon  Mis- 


sion. He  faced  a  strong  prejudice  against  the  Mis- 
sion and  against  himself  as  its  superintendent.  The 
reasons  for  this  prejudice  have  been  so  stated  in  a 
previous  chapter  that  nothing  further  need  be  said 
of  them  here.  Still  it  should  be  said  that  not  one 
of  them  touched  the  integrity  or  personal  charac- 
ter of  Mr.  Lee.  They  were  beyond  suspicion. 
They  related  wholly  to  the  wisdom  of  his  adminis- 
tration of  the  secular  affairs  of  the  Mission,  and.  as 
stated  in  a  former  chapter,  they  grew  out  of  the 
changed  conditions  of  the  country  and  the  com- 
plaints of  dissatisfied  and  returning  missionaries. 
V\"iih  but  little  knowledge  of  facts  as  to  the  coun- 
.1}.  .hid  on  the  exparte  statements  that  were  made 
iv.  vhe  Board,  that  body  took  the  extreme  step  ot 
(*i.  iviadng  Mr.  Lee  and  of  instructing  the  newly 
appudited  superintendent  to  reverse  the  plans  of 
the  former  in  the  administration  of  the  great  in- 
terests he  had  been  the  founder  of  on  the  North- 
west coast.  Of  course  the  suspicion  of  intentional 
injustice  or  wrong  to  Mr.  Lee  on  the  part  of  the 
Missionary  Board  could  not  be  entertained  for  a 
iionicnt.  If  there  was  an  error  in  their  action  it 
arose  from  the  causes  specified. 

Mr.  Lee  met  the  Missionary  Board  on  the  ist 
day  of  July,  1844.  Dr.  George  Peck,  was  in  the 
chair.     Charles  Pittman  was  corresponding  secre- 


Ill 


mi 


m 


i      ! 


MISS  ION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


tary.  A  body  of  eminent  ministers  and  laymen 
constituted  the  Board,  among  whom,  and  present 
at  the  mt  .■  appears  the  name  of  William  Rob- 

erts, of  New     crsey,  a  name  that  will  appear  on 
many  a  page  in  many  an  important  connection  with 
subsequent  Oregon  history.     It  would  not  be  just 
to  the  Missionary  Board,  nor  just  to  the  Mission- 
ary History  of  the  Pacific  Northwest,  nor  yet  to 
Mr.  Lee  as  the  pioneer  of  that  history,  if  we  did  not 
give  at  least  some  extracts  from  the  address  of 
Mr.  Lee  before  the  Board  at  that  time.     It  lies 
in  its  original  manuscript  in  Mr.  Lee's  own  hand- 
writing, yellow  with  its  fifty-five  years  of  age,  l)e- 
fore  the  writer,  and  in  that  form  he  quotes  from  it 
in  excerpts.     Dr.  Pittman,  the  corresponding  sec- 
retary of  the  Missionary  Society,  stated  that  the 
meeting  had  been  called  to  offer  Mr.  Lee  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  a  statement  in  reference  to  the 
Oregon  Mission.     Mr.  Lee  said: — 

"I  desire  to  express  my  gratitude  to  (iod  for  His 
protection,  and  for  guiding  me  once  more  to  a  civ- 
ilized land,  and  for  permitting  me  to  meet  again 
with  this  Board.  From  what  I  have  heard  since 
my  arrival  in  this  city  I  am  satisfied  that  it  is  nec- 
essary for  me  to  give  the  Board  all  the  information 
in  my  power  in  regard  to  ihe  Oregon  Mission.  1 
will  state,  briefly,  some  of  the  reasons  which  in- 
duced my  return  from  Oregon. 

First,  the  Mission  has  obtained  possession  of  n 


I  »l.|,  ;   II     :     1.1 


LEE  RETURNS  TO   THE  EAST. 


J09 


large  tract  of  land  in  connection  with  its  work, 
and,  as  a  large  emigration  was  pouring  into  that 
country  I  believed  it  a  duty  to  the  Board  to  imme- 
diately petition  the  government  of  the  United 
States  to  se  uire  to  the  Missionary  Society  the  right 
of  possession.  I  believed  if  I  went  to  Washington 
I  could  present  the  claims  of  the  Society  in  such  a 
manner  as  would  make  a  favorable  impression  on 
Congress  and  the  national  authorities.  In  my  re- 
cent visit  to  the  federal  city  I  saw  and  conversed 
with  the  President,  with  heads  of  Departments. 
Secretaries  and  members  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, and  gave  them  my  views  in  regard  to 
these  and  other  matters  in  Oregon,  and.  I  think, 
made  a  most  favorable  impression  on  all.  Al- 
though nothing  could  be  effected  as  yet  in  a  legal 
way,  I  have  no  doubt  but  the  claims  of  the  Society 
will  be  favorably  considered.  Col.  Benton  and 
others  said  that  our  claims  were  reasonable  and 
just,  and  that  at  a  suitable  time  Congress  must  be 
memorialized,  a  case  made  out  and  submitted  to 
that  body.  I  had  heard  that  it  was  in  contempla- 
tion by  the  Board  to  send  a  special  agent  to  Ore- 
gon to  examine  into  the  condition  and  affairs  of 
the  Mission,  and  my  impression  was  that  he  would 
probably  cross  the  mountains.  I  believed  that, 
availing  myself  of  the  offered  opportimity  I  could 
reach  home  previous  to  the  agent's  departure  if 
one  was  appointed,  and  by  giving  to  the  Board  a 
detailed  statement  of  events  and  of  the  affairs  of 
the  Mission  as  might  save  the  expense  of  sending 
the  contemplated  agent. 

Third.  T  had  become  fully  .satisfied  that  the 
Board  had  had  such  representations  made  to  them 
that  it  was  my  duty  to  appear  before  them,  and  so 
far  as  was  in  my  power  to  correct  these  erroneous 


'■| 


i 


npi  ..jm  I" 


310 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


statements  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  things  in 
the  Mission. 

Affairs  in  Oregon  and  in  the  Mission  have  great- 
ly changed  since  I  had  the  happiness  of  meetin«>- 
the  Board  last.  First  the  Indians  upon  the  Wil- 
lamette River  have  diminished  in  a  surprising  de- 
gree. Secondly,  the  white  population  has  greatly 
increased. 

When  the  Board  sent  out  its  large  reinforcement 
the  object  was  that  Methodism  should  spread 
throughout  Oregon.  For  what  purpose  else  did 
it  send  out  so  large  a  number  of  laymen?  If  it  had 
been  only  to  form  one  or  two  stations  among  the 
Indians  it  would  seem  to  me  that  both  the  Board 
and  myself  as  iiieir  agent  must  have  taken  leave  of 
our  senses." 

Mr.  Lee  discusses  in  a  very  particular  way  what- 
ever special  complaints  had  been  made  to  the 
Board  about  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of 
the  Mission.  He  clearly  shows  that  they  were 
made  under  misapprehension  of  fact,  and  that  the 
policy  adopted  by  the  Superintendent  was  the  only 
one  that  promised  that  large  success  that  the 
Board  and  all  the  friends  of  the  Mission  desired  to 
see  achieved.  In  regard  to  the  relation  of  the  mis- 
sion to  the  early  inmiigrants,  he  makes  this  state- 
ment : 

"Without  our  mission  they  could  not  have  re- 
mained in  the  country,  and  they  knew  it.  They 
told  me  when  I  arrived  in  the  country  the  last  time 
[in  1840.  with  the  great  reinforcement],  that  they 
should  have  left  the  countrv  unless   I  had  taken 


^ifMfll 


LEE  RETURNS  TO   THE  EAST. 


3'i 


out  supplies  and  saved  them  from  succumbing  to 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  We  have  been  the 
means  of  the  conversion  of  'Rocky  Mountain  men' 
who  had  been  in  the  mountains  for  ten  or  fifteen 
years,  and  spent  every  cent  in  drink,  and  we  have 
persuaded  the  people  who  were  living  in  concubin- 
age to  marry.  They  now  are  making  a  handsome 
living  and  are  industrious  and  Christian  men  and 
women.  Never  since  the  world  was  made  has  a 
settlement  of  such  men  been  so  benefited  by  Chris- 
tian influence  as  has  the  Oregon  settlement. 
Blood-thirsty  men  have  been  prevented  from  anni- 
hilating the  Indians.  I  have  a  paper  handed  me 
just  as  I  left,  signed  by  all  who  saw  it  but  one.  a 
stranger,  which  abundantly  confirms  all  that  1 
have  said.  " 


V-.'ii 


It  is  hardly  necessary  to  quote  from  the  address 
of  Mr.  Lee  at  greater  length,  as  many  of  the  facts 
described  by  him  have  already  been  treated  of  in 
the  progress  of  this  history.  His  personal  vindica- 
tion was  complete,  and  the  Board  was  fully  satis- 
fied that  he  had  served  the  church  and  the  mission  • 
ary  cause  in  Oregon  with  great  devotion  and  faith- 
fulness. The  Board  saw  the  difiiculties  that  ha<] 
encompassed  his  work  much  more  clearly  than 
ever  before,  and  had  such  a  statement  of  them  been 
before  the  body  before  the  appointment  of  Mr. 
Gary  no  such  action  would  ever  have  been  taken. 
But  it  was  not,  and  while  expressing  undiminished 
confidence  in  Mr.  Lee,  it  was  too  late  to  recall  its 


:  '   "■  1 

:|li*^ 

ll; 

3i2 


MISSION AR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


action,  although  Mr.  Lee  was  yet  recognized  as 
■'Missionary  to  Oregon." 

It  would  hardly  be  proper  to  close  this  chapter 
in  the  history  of  Oregon  Missions  without  saying 
that  it  was  but  the  natural  and  inevitable  result 
that   Mr.   Lee  as  superintendent  of  the  mission, 
should  have  to  bear  all  the  blame  of  what  seemed 
to  the  church  a  failure.     Still  it  was  not  a  failure, 
and  nobody  was  to  blame  for  the  existence  of  the 
conditions  that  made  it  appear  so.     It  was  a  provi- 
dence that  was  preparing  the  Great  West  for  a 
greater  good.     When  thousands  of  Indians  were 
roaming  over  the  fair  prairies  and   through  the 
green  and  fragrant  mountains  of  the  Willamette 
five  years  before,   what   human   prescience   couid 
foretell  that  in  that  brief  space  their  camp  fires 
would  be  extinguished,  their  trails  obliterated,  and 
only  a  few  degraded  bands,  eaten  by  disease,  dis- 
heartened and  disconsolate  and  almost  longing  for 
the  time  to  come  for  them  all  to  join  their  depart- 
ed fathers  in  the  "happy  hunting  grounds"  their 
pagan  faith  pictured  beyond  the  river,  would  be 
all  that  remained  of  those  thousands.     And  then 
there  was  another  fact  that  had  been  hidden  be- 
hind a  providential  veil,  a  fact  not  less  strange  than 
the  others,  that  as  the  echo  of  the  departing  foot 
steps  of  the  Indian  race  died  away  the  ringing  tread 


-w     w]r  p-  '  '\ 


LEE'S  RETURN  TO   THE  EAST.       313 

of  a  coming  people  full  of  all  that  is  mighty  in  mind 
and  vital  in  faith  would  resound  through  the  land. 
Lee,  almost  alone  of  all  the  men  about  him,  caught 
the  gleam  of  the  banners  of  the  "Avaunt  Couriers" 
of  that  coming  host  on  the  eastern  heights  as  they 
began  to  descend  towards  the  vales.  God  had 
been  making  his  preparations  in  these  changes,  sad 
as  they  were  passing  as  battles  are  sad,  but  glori- 
ous in  their  outcome  of  religion  and  civilization  as 
battles  are  glorious  when  they  bring  freedom  to 
man.  We  can  see  it  now.  In  1844  the  Mission- 
ary Board,  four  thousand  miles  away  from  the  field 
of  God's  great  Providences,  did  not,  perhaps  could 
not  see  it. 


Wi 


!;  \ 


iii'j' 


k 


-.     !»         • 


M:: 


1 

!i    , 
J!  ■ 

■;  •    ■  ■  i 
"       ! 

XVI. 

DEATH  OF  JASON  LEE. 

"I  have  fought  a  good  fight;  I  have  finished  my    coarse;  I 
have  kept  the  Faith." — Paui<. 

AT  the  conclusion  of  his  conferences  with  the 
Missionary  Board,  Mr.  Lee  turned  aside  to 
rest  his  body  and  his  heart  among  his  own  beloved 
kindred,  and  in  the  circles  of  the  friendships  of  his 
early  life,  whence  he  had  gone  out  eleven  years 
before  on  his  great  mission  amidst  their  tears  and 
with  their  benedictions. 

On  his  way  he  attended  the  session  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Conference  and  also  of  the  New  Eng- 
land of  which  he  was  a  member.  He  was  received 
by  his  conference  with  great  honor  and  earnestly 
besought  to  receive  an  appointment  within  its 
bounds,  but  his  heart  was  in  Oregon,  and  at  his 
own  request  he  was  appointed  "'Agent  of  the  Ore- 
gon Institute."  He  then  visited  Wilbraham, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  had  pursued  his  studies 
under  Dr.  Fisk,  and  held  a  public  service  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  Oiegon  Mission.  From  this  poir.l 
he  proceeded  toward  Standstead,  and  on  his  way 
visited  Daniel  Lee.  his  nephew,  and  his  trusted  and 


DEATH  OF  JASON  LEE. 


315 


faithful  helper  in  the  wilds  of  the  farthest  west  for 
ten  years,  who  was  then  pastor  at  North  Haverhill, 
New  Hampshire.  After  such  a  reunion  as  the 
reader  may  imagine  but  we  cannot  describe  be- 
tween these  fellow  pioneers  who  together  had 
opened  the  way  for  civilization  to  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific,  he  passed  onward  to  the  home  of  his  youth 
and  the  scene  of  his  conversion,  designing  to  spend 
a  few  weeks  in  rest  and  then  to  return  to  the  field 
that  he  loved  better  than  all  others  beyond  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

He  came  to  his  friends  for  rest  just  as  the  early 
autumn  frosts  were  tinging  the  northern  forests 
with  the  prophecy  of  nearing  winter.  They  de- 
tected, too,  the  seering  leaf  in  his  pale  brow  that 
betokened  what  they  shrank  from  believing  that 
the  autumn  of  his  life  had  come.  He  sought  rest. 
On  the  bosom  of  an  elder  sister,  who  had  been  to 
him  both  mother  and  sister  for  many  years  of  his 
early  life,  his  throbing  head  and  aching  heart  found 
repose.     He  went  abroad  no  more. 

Mr.  Lee  ascended  the  pulpit  for  the  last  time  in 
November,  1844,  in  his  native  town  of  Stanstead. 
among  his  friends  and  relatives,  and  not  far  from 
the  place  where  he  experienced  the  "new  celestial 
birth."  He  was  pale  and  feeble.  His  tall  form 
appeared     even     taller     in     his     emaciation.     He 


K         I 


it 


31^ 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


m  y 


f]  I 


\t       \ 


preached,  as  he  always  preached,  the  Gospel,  plain, 
unadorned,  mighty;  "the  power  of  God  unto  sal- 
vation." The  Gospel  had  to  him  no  other  mean- 
ing, and  its  preaching  no  other  end.  It  seemed  a 
strange  providence  that  this  man,  who  had  thrice 
crossed  the  continent  from  ocean  to  ocean  when  to 
cross  it  was  to  expose  one's  self  to  daily  peril  of 
death  from  savage  foes,  who  had  been  the  chief 
instrument  of  pre-empting  half  a  continent  for  Im- 
manuel,  who  had  sailed  over  all  the  seas  of  the 
western  hemisphere  on  the  same  mission,  doing  in 
ten  years  the  work  of  a  long  life  time,  should  close 
his  ministry  in  the  shadows  of  his  native  hills,  and 
the  dying  echo  of  his  message  should  fall  on  the 
same  ears  that  heard  its  opening  call.  Yet  so  it 
was.  That  cold  November  day,  though  it  sent  its 
chill  through  his  enfeebled  body,  could  not  chill 
the  ardor  of  his  soul.  He  was  never  more  alive  to 
God.  alive  to  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  alive  to 
Oregon  than  he  was  that  day. 

Reluctantly  did  Mr.  Lee  submit  to  the  convic- 
tion that  his  work  was  done.  With  every  evanes- 
cent flash  of  the  expiring  embers  of  life,  Oregon 
again  arose  on  the  horizon  of  his  mind,  and  for  the 
moment  her  vales  and  hills  filled  all  the  field  of  his 
vision.  To  reach  Oregon,  to  live,  if  live  he  could. 
wMth  and  for  her;   to  die,  if  die  he  must,  under  her 


plain, 
[o  sal- 
nieau- 
nied  a 

thrice 
hen  to 
leril  of 
e  chief 
[or  Im- 

of  the 
oing  in 
Id  close 
ills,  and 

on  the 
et  so  it 

sent  its 
lot  chill 

alive  to 

alive  to 

t  convic- 
f  evanes- 
Oregon 
d  for  the 
eld  of  his 
he  could, 
under  her 


DEATH  OF  JASON  LEE 


sn 


peaceful  skies,  and  lay  his  dust  at  last  where  for  so 
long  had  been  his  heart,  was  the  measure  of  his 
earthly  desires.  The  mental  and  moral  outgrowths 
of  his  best  life  had  taken  root  in  Oregon,  and  if  it 
were  only  to  water  and  enrich  the  soil  where  they 
were  planted  with  his  tears  and  his  ashes,  this  last 
possible  office  he  prayed  with  a  great  de.^re  to  be 
permitted  to  perform.  Nor  did  he  forget  where, 
l:)eneath  the  oaks  of  the  lovely  vale  of  the  Willam- 
ette, rested  the  weary  dust  of  his  two  beloved  com- 
panions, the  heroic  sharers  of  his  exile  and  his  toil. 
And  as  a  last  reason,  appealing  to  the  deepest, 
loveliest  nature  of  humanity,  the  ties  of  his  father- 
hood had  been  stretched  across  a  continent,  the 
only  being  calling  him  father  yet  remaining  near 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  How  could  he  die  and 
she  far  away?  Had  not  duty  dealt  hardly  with  him 
already  in  calling  him  away  almost  before  even  his 
countenance  could  be  impressed  on  her  memory? 
Must  he  now  die  and  she  only  know  of  him  as  fath- 
er through  traditions  rehearsed  in  her  ear?  That 
he  reluctantly  submitted  to  that  conviction  is  not 
wonderful;  nor  that  his  brave  soul  struggled  to 
pluck  a  few  more  years  from  the  grave,  to  add  an- 
other chapter  to  the  history  of  a  life  scarcely  past 
meridian  years.     But  it  was  all  in  vain. 

The  last  time  probably  that  his  name  was  signed 


p 

i 

>. 

m 

i 

jsassmm 


wm. 


111! 


• 

1 

3IS 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  Y. 


by  his  own  hand  to  a  letter  was  on  the  8th  day  of 
Febniary.  1845, four  daysmore  than  a  monthbefore 
his  death.  The  letter  was  directed  to  Rev.  G. 
Hines,  long  his  friend  and  the  appointed  guardian 
of  his  child.  The  letter  was  writteii  by  another, 
though  signed  by  his  own  hand.     In  it  he  said: — 

*T  think  I  mentioned  in  my  last  that  I  was  afflic- 
ted with  a  severe  cold.  No  remedial  aid  I  could  pro- 
cure has  been  able  to  remove  it,  and  unless  some 
favorable  change  occurs  soon  it  is  my  deliberate 
conviction  that  it  will  prove  fatal.  Shoukl  such  a 
favora^>le  change  take  place  I  may  advise  you  to  be 
looking  out  for  me  coming  around  Cape  Horn,  or 
threading  my  way  up  the  Willamette  in  a  canoe  as  I 
used  to  do.  But  if  I  never  make  my  appearance 
what  shall  I  say  concerning  the  'dear  little  one.' 
Let  her  have  if  possible  a  first-rate  education,  but 
above  all  do  not  neglect  her  religious  education. 
Dear  Brother  and  Sister  Hines.  I  must  hold  you 
responsible,  under  God,  to  train  that  child  for 
heaven. 

I  remain  your  affectionate  friend  and  brother, 

JASON  LEE. 

He  longed  to  return  to  Oregon  to  pick  up  igain 
such  threads  as  he  might  of  the  old  life,  yet 
he  was  calm,  knowing  what  betided  but  not  fear- 
ing it;  steady,  noble,  a  warrior  figure  to  the  last, 
dying  as  those  who  loved  him  might  have  wished 
to  see  him  die.  On  the  12th  day  of  March,  1845. 
at  41  years  of  age,  he  was  absent  from  the  body 


.iirl 


day  of 
before 
2V.  G. 
ardian 
lother, 
id:— 

5  afflic- 
Id  pro- 
s  some 
iberate 
such  a 
u  to  be 
orn,  or 
loe  as  I 
earance 
le  one.' 
on,  but 
.tcation. 
old  you 
hild   for 

ither, 
LEE. 

-tp  ag^ain 
life,  yet 
lot  fear- 
the  last. 
e  wished 

:h,  1845. 
he  bodv 


^I'i 


Mil 
Hi 


»l 


'II 


I 


\A('\  A.   LKK  (JUrnHS. 
(Milv  Itiuiyliler  itf  Jnson  I-cc 


~r.n    Wf::" ' 


DBA  TH  OF  JASON  LEE. 


319 


but  present  with  the  Lord.  He  was  absent  but 
accounted  for.     He  was  with  the  heroes. 

Here  it  is  proper  to  say  that  the  daughter  of 
Jason  Lee  and  Lucy  Thompson,  into  whose  deep 
eyes  he  never  looked  after  he  laid  her  in  the  arms 
of  her  devoted  foster-mother  on  that  "lone  isle  of 
the  sea,"  lived  to  become  one  of  the  most  accom- 
plished graduates  of  the  Willamette  University, 
the  school  her  father  founded  as  the  "Oregon  In- 
stitute," and  then  the  most  successful  preceptress 
that  institution  ever  had.     Then  in  full  orbed, 

majestic  womanhood  she  lay  down  to  test  by  her 
mother's  side  in  "Lee  Mission  Cemetery,"  at  ba- 
lem,  Oregon,  the  old  Chemekete,  a  spot  consecrat- 
ed by  the  sacred  dust  of  more  of  the  pioneer  heroes 
and  heroines  of  American  civilization  and  Ameri- 
can Christianity  than  sleep  anywhere  else  by  the 
shores  of  the  western  sea.  In  the  cemetery  at 
Stanstead,  in  Lower  Canada,  there  reposes  precious 
dust  that  Oregon  covets  as  her  own,  that  it  might 
sleep  with  this.  Surely  the  hero  should  rest  by 
the  side  of  the  he'*oines. 


1|K^~    -'^ 


XVII. 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


i 


"When  God  moulds  a  prophet  He  places  him  for  a  while 
in  the  »-'ilderne.'is  so  that  he  may  be  framed  after  vastness  of  His 
own  heart." 

"He  shall  come  back  on  his  own  track,  and  bj*  his  scarce 
cold  camp 
There  shall  He   meet  the   roaring  street,  the  derrick  and  the 
stamp : 
For  He  must  blaze  a  nations  way,   with  hatchet  and  with 
brand. 
Till  on  his  last  won  wilderness  an  empire's  bulwarks  stand." 

— RuDYARD  Kipling. 

PROVIDENTIALLY  the  history  of  the  mis- 
sionary work  in  Oregon  from  the  time  of  its 
inception  in  the  mind  of  the  American  Church  in 
1833  to  the  time  of  liis  departure  from  Oregon  in 
1843,  accreted  about  the  name  of  Jason  Lee.  By 
the  very  same  providence  whatever  there  was  of 
civil  history  in  the  same  field  and  time  gathered 
about  the  missionary  work  of  which  he  was  the 
center.  The  current  incidents  connected  with  his 
personal  association  with  that  work  in  fields  broad- 
er and  more  important  than  those  occupied  by  any 
other  man  have  been  discussed  in  the  foregoing 
pages.  It  is  only  the  justice  of  history,  however, 
before  we  dismiss  his  name  from  the  story  of  the 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


32r 


work  that  others  took  up  as  he  laid  it  down,  that 
we  give  a  clear  and  connected  view  of  iiis  dominant 
place  in  the  history  of  the  Northwest  during  that 
era  that  did  most  to  determine  its  final  civil  rela- 
tions, and,  as  well,  the  ultimate  character  of  its  in- 
tellectual and  social  and  religious  life.  Our  read- 
ers cannot  have  failed  to  discern  the  general  trend 
of  his  strongly  marked  characteristics  as  they  have 
traced  him  in  his  journey  in  1834  as  the  true  "Path 
finder"  for  civilization  through  the  2,000  miles  of 
mountain  wilderness  that  lay  between  the  Missouri 
River  and  the  Pacific  Ocean.  They  have  seen 
these  same  characteristics  magnified  as  he  toiled 
on.  out  of  sight  of  the  world,  among  the  most 
wretched  and  degraded  humafi  beings  that  Chris- 
tianity ever  ventured  the  experiment  of  a  gracious 
renewal  upon,  for  four  solitary  years,  until  his  faith- 
ful work  had  brought  in  to  that  people  some  dawn- 
ing hope  of  a  better  life.  Still  more  strikingly 
were  these  (|ualities  shown  in  his  retracement  of 
the  weary  pilgrimage  of  1834  over  the  Rocky 
Mountains  in  1838,  to  find  and  bring  more  laborers 
for  the  rescue  and  salvation  of  the  wretched  tribes 
for  whose  sake  he  had  come  at  the  first.  Yet  more 
was  his  character  and  force  honored  by  the  intelli- 
gence with  which  he  organized,  and  the  fidelity 
and  faithfulness  with  which  he  conducted  the  great 


\     \ 


pt"""" 


M  Hi  ' 


\  n; 


I 


'*  »j':« 


I 


r 


.  i  I    ,  ) 


^i;;:.!: 


J22 


MISS  I  ON AR  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


reinforcement  through  that  trying  sea  voyage  half 
way  round  the  world  in  the  ship  Lausanne,  in  1839- 
1840.  Lastly  they  have  seen  these  characteristics 
lifted  to  the  acme  of  sublime  action  in  the  last  great 
journey  that  he  undertook  for  his  mission,  and  the 
Oregon  he  had  adopted  as  his  own  through  the 
bandits  of  Mexico  and  by  the  sinuous  and  treach- 
erous paths  along  which  he  labored  his  way  to  New 
York  in  1844.  Though  these  characteristics  have 
been  observed  by  our  readers  they  should  have  a 
clearer  historic  setting. 

Mr.  Lee's  natur^'  was  cast  in  an  opulent  mould. 
Physically  he  was  an  imposing  personality.     Six 
feet  and  four  inches  in  height,  well  and  symmetri- 
cally developed,  his  appearance  gave  the  world  as- 
surance of  a  man.     His  complexion  was  almost 
blond,  his  hair  light,  and  his  eyes  grayish-blue;    a 
marked  Anglo-Saxon  combination,  and  he  was  fud 
of  the  strong  and  virile  elements  of  that  race.     Of 
course  this  had  much  to  do  with  what  he  accom- 
plished, and  rendered  it  possible  for  him  to  hold 
the  supreme  place  he  did  hold  in  fashioning  the  his- 
tory of  the  early  Oregon,  and  hence  the  Oregon  of 
all  history.     There  is  yet  another  fact  that  has  es- 
caped its  proper  statement,  if,  indeed,  it  has  not 
had  misstatements  in  many  places,  that  greatly  in- 
fluenced the  results  of  his  relation  to  the  countiV 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


323 


and  society  where  he  wrouj^ht  so  faithfully  and  ef- 
fectually. It  was  this:  Though  l)orn  in  Canada. 
he  was  a  thorough  American.  We  mean  by  this 
that  he  was  not  only  an  American  citizen,  and  as 
such  entitled  to  all  the  franchises  of  that  citizen- 
ship, but  American  in  the  broadest  and  most  patri- 
otic sense.  His  birthplace  was  but  a  few  miles 
across  the  line  from  Vermont.  His  parents  were 
thorough  New  Englanders.  who  had  themselves 
heired  the  longest  and  purest  lineage  of  Puri- 
tan blood.  He  had  but  to  step  across  the  line 
into  the  United  States  to  enter  into  the  citizenship 
that  was  his  by  birthright.  Beyond  this  right  was 
the  fact  that  the  most  fashioning  years  of  his 
early  manhood  were  spent  in  school  at  Wilbraham, 
in  Massachusetts,  under  the  tutelage  of  one  of  ihe 
most  patriotic  of  Americans,  Dr.  Wilbur  Fisk,  and 
in  the  close  companionship  of  Osmon  C.  Baker  and 
many  others  like  him.  all  Americans  of  the  Ameri- 
cans. No  man  ever  had  better  title  to  whatever 
credit  the  trusts  of  high  friendships  or  the  rights 
and  franchises  of  citizenships  could  give  him,  than 
Jason  Lee.  All  that  made  and  moulded  him, 
blood,  education,  life-work,  were  Americati,  and 
made  him  the  tit  representative  of  the  most  intense 
American  ecclesiasticism  on  the  continent  in  the 
great  work  of  his  life  in  Oregon.     This  plain  and 


^rHI'l"  :!'  '" 


3^4 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


ir.i 


.!' 


!i  -4, 


emphatic  statement  of  facts  in  regard  to  his  civil 
position,  and  his  loyalty  and  love  for  American 
institutions  is  made,  in  a  manner,  necessary  be- 
cause some  recent  writers,  conversant  only  with 
the  fact  that  his  birthplace  was  in  Canada,  seem  to 
have  tried  to  discount  his  fame  and  detract  from 
the  credit  due  to  his  work  because,  as  they  have  of- 
ten repeated,  "he  was  a  Canadian."     Our  readers 
will  see  that,  in  the  sense  in  which  they  make  this 
statement,  there  is  no  foundation  for  it  in  fact.     In 
any  sense  in  which  he  was  a  Canadian  there  is  ab- 
solutely nothing  that  derogates  from  his  thorough 
Americanism,  and  hence  nothing  that  can  impeach 
the  claim  here  made  of  his  premiership  in  the  plans 
and  work  that   made  Oregon  the  solid,   intense, 
patriotic  American  commonwealth   she  has  been 
ever  since  she  left  the  fashioning  hands  of   Mr. 


Lee. 


Mr.  Lee  was  a  man  of  firm  faith,  great  courage, 
and  sustained  and  persevering  action. 

His  whole  life  is  a  commentary  on  tiiis  state- 
ment. These  basal  moral  elements  of  greatness 
abounded  in  his  nature.  His  faith  was  radical.  It 
did  not  rest  on  a  visionary  hope  that  happy  inci- 
dents or  accidents  would  intervene  in  his  favor  at 
fortunate  times,  but  in  a  just  appreciation  of  per- 
sonal   confidence    in    the    government    of    God. 


^Wm' 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


325 


Hence  the  consciousness  of  danger  never  operated 
as  a  deterrent  to  his  work. 

"His  hand  the  good  man  fastens  on  the  skies: — 
Then  bids  earth  roll  nor  feels  her  idle  whirl." 

So  Jason  Lee  fixed  his  hand  on  the  skies,  and 
that  grip  of  trust  was  never  shaken  loose  for  a  mo- 
ment during  all  the  conflicts  and  dangers  of  his 
way. 

He  never  wearied  in  his  good  doing.  Such  a 
thing  as  faltering  never  entered  into  his  mind. 
This  is  one  of  the  true  tests  of  greatness.  This  is 
the  faith  that  overcometh.  His  work  itself  never 
failed  to  meet  any  just  expectations.  The  Indian 
tribes  for  whom  he  wrought  faded  away  and  per- 
ished out  of  sight,  but  he  had  so  done  his  work 
that  on  the  very  foimdations  where  he  had  laid  it 
at  the  first  it  stood  ready  for  the  higher  and  the 
stronger  life  that  so  unexpectedly  soon  took  the 
place  of  the  vanished  Indian  life.  This  was  evi- 
dence of  his  forecast  (;f  events  that  surprised  him 
only  in  the  quickness  of  their  coming.  As  early 
as  January,  1837,  he  wrote  the  corresponding  sec- 
retary of  the  Missionary  Board.  "I  am  fully  of  the 
opinion  that  this  country  will  settle  ere  long,  and  if 
you  can  send  us  a  few  good,  pious  settlers  you  will 
aid  essentially  in  laying  a  good  foundation  for  the 
time  to  come,  and  confer  an  incalculable  benefit 
upon  the  people  which  will  be  felt  by  generations 


n;r 


1:111 


?^<$ 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


(I 

't|    'I      ■ 
I    'I 


1'^ 


' 


!   :        I? 


!■  :!' 


yet  unborn.  Pious  men  we  want  and  must  have 
to  superintend  our  labor,  but  they  are  not  to  be  had 
here  at  present." 

What  prescience  was  here.  Less  than  a 
decade  justified  his  prophecy.  His  states- 
manhke  comprehension  of  the  then  condi- 
tions, was  fully  evinced  in  the  selection  of 
the  strategic  centers  of  his  work.  To  name  the 
missionary  stations  that  Mr.  Lee  selected  from 
whence  to  work  outwardly  and  touch  all  the  land 
is  to  name  as  many  of  the  controlling  centers  of  ed- 
ucation, religion,  and  trade  in  the  Pacific  Northwest 
to-day,  as  he  established  missionary  stations.  See: 
They  were  Salem,  now  the  beautiful  and  cultured 
capital  of  Oregon.  Oregon  City,  the  most  mag- 
nificent Welter  power  of  half  a  continent,  now  prac- 
tically a  part  of  Portland,  the  finest  city  on  the 
coast.  The  Dalles,  the  very  key  and  entrepot  of 
the  great  Inland  Empire  that  comprises  two-thirds 
of  the  States  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  and  all 
of  Idaho.  Astoria,  which  guards  the  entrance  and 
exit  of  the  Columbia  River  Valley,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river  itself;  and  Nesqually,  now  practically  Ta- 
coma,  the  marvelous  creation  of  genius  conspiring 
with  destiny  on  the  sea-deep  waters  of  Puget 
Sound.  No  other  missionaries  on  this  coast  ever 
approached  him  in  that  clear  foresight.  Though 
he  was  before  them  he  had  chosen  but  one  station 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY, 


327 


when  they  appeared  upon  the  ground  and  chose' 
their  fields.     Even  the  keen  sighted  Jesuit  priests 
under  the  direction  of  such  astute  and  diplomatic  " 
leaders  as  De  Smet,  Blanchet  and  Brouillette,  and 
they  rated  among  the  ablest  men  ever  on  the  coast, ' 
did  not  begin  to  equal  his  grasp  of  the  great  fu- 
ture.    Nor  did   the  able  and  devoted  men   who 
came   out   under  the   direction   of  the  American 
Board  in  1836,  two  years  after  Mr.  Lee,  namely,- 
Dr.  Marcus  Whitman,  Rev.  H.  H.  Spaulding  and 
Mr.  W.  H.  Gray,  nor  those  who  later  became  their 
earnest  associates.     As  the  bearing  of  these  facts 
and  events  on  the  history  of  the  missionary  work,' 
and  of  Oregon  itself  will  be  observed  further  on  in 
this  work,  they  need  not  be  further  discussed  at 
this  point.  '    ' 

Jason  Lee,  better  than  any  other  man  of  his 
time,  comprehended  the  true  missionary  idea.  In 
tensely  religious,  he  was  also  intensely  practical. 
The  stern  struggles  of  his  early  manhood  had 
taught  him  that  this  is  a  hard  world  to  conquer. 
Mere  pietism,  enthusiasm,  zea',  he  found  could 
not  subdue  the  world  to  righteousness.  His  faith 
was  in  the  magic  of  work  as  an  instrument  for  the 
accomplishment  of  the  immeasurable  ends  of  (iod 
in  the  bringing  in  of  "the  new  heaven  and  the  new 
earth."     Many  in  the  church  could  not  understand 


328 


MISSIONAR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y 


•  h\ 


xui 


;        ! 


his  policy.     They  wanted  only  "the  gospel,"  or,  as 
they  were  wont  to  say,  a  "purely  spiritual  work." 
They  did  not  realize  that  God's  days  of  accomplish- 
ment have  all  had  their  ages  of  preparation.     That 
his  great,  strong,  conquering  peoples  were  al!  once 
small,  weak  and  often  apparently  beaten.     That 
the   baptism   of  suffering  and   of  conflict   always 
came   to   man    or   nation     before    the   baptism  of 
power;  before  the  baptism  of  the  spirit.   And  they 
failed  to  understand  that  "the  word  of  this  salva- 
tion" had  its  con(|uering  tongues  in  every  age  of 
its  progress.     And  another  principle  of  its  advance- 
ment had  failed  to  catch  their  attention,  namely, 
that  its  divine  commission.   "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world."  was  nf)t  to  a  man.  or  to  a  minister  only, 
but  to  the  church  as  such  in  her  whole  manhood, 
her  whole   womanhood,   and   even    to  her  whole 
childliood..     That  it  had  in  it  the  colonization,  the 
expansion  idea.      That  beyond  the  voice  of  the  min- 
ister in  the  enunciation  of  the  Word  there  must  be 
the  life  of  the  living  manhood  in  all  possible  practi- 
cal exemplifications  of  the  law  of  the  divine  life. 
That  the  gos])el  on  the  lips  of  the  minister  must 
be  illustrated  and  exemplified  behind  the  plow,   it 
the  blazing  forges  and  the  ringing  anvils,  at  the 
bench  and  at  the  .shuttle,  everywhere  that  life  finds 
lawful  use  for  itself,  or  the  night -dark  perceptions 


\A\     ii 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


329 


of  pagan  nations  can  never  form  an  idea  of  its  real 
character  and  power.  Jason  Lee  comprehended 
this  from  the  first,  and  in  this  he  was  wiser  than  his 
masters,  and  wiser  than  many  of  those  who  were 
incidentally  associated  with  him  in  the  field  in 
which  he  wrought. 

To-day,  in  the  light  of  the  missionary  experience 
of  an  added  half-century  in  India,  China,  Africa,  all 
over  the  world,  and  especially  in  that  great  Pacific 
lunpire  where  he  sought  to  unfold  the  philosophy 
of  his  high  conceptions  of  the  co-ordinance  of 
Christianity  and  free  civilization,  his  then  misun- 
derstood and  undervalued  philosophy  has  become 
the  ruling  principle  of  Christian  progress.  Does 
not  this  place  him  among  the  very  leaders  of  the 
true  missionary  concept? 

It  was  the  great  merit  of  Mr.  Lee  to  comj)re- 
hend  the  terms  of  the  great  problem  of  Christian 
civilization  which  he  was  chosen  to  work  out  on 
the  Pacific  coast  as  a  Christian  and  a  missionary  of 
the  most  manly  type,  and  also  as  a  statesman  ca- 
])able  of  founding  empires.  He  could  weigh  cir- 
cumstances, generalize  facts,  and  foresee  conclu- 
sions. If  those  who  had  committed  to  his  hands 
the  trust  of  founding  the  Christian  commonwealth 
of  the  Pacific  coast  had  not  been  separated  from 
him  by  so  great  a  distance,  or  if  they  had  not  lost 


1^ 


t.    :l       I  .! 


ff  'f  T^Wfr    ■■^'^ 


k  ^;  ^J^S 


11 


\Wn 


m 


Ilk 


330 


MISS  J  ON AR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y 


their  own  judicial   balance,   and  had  left  him   to 
work  out  the  problem  of  his  mission  in  the  way  he 
had  planned  and  toward  which  he  was  vorking  the 
history  which  we  have  to  record  would  have  been 
a  very  different  one.     We  do  not  at  all  impeach 
their  purposes,  but  they  could  not  understand  that 
Lee  on  tl:e  ground,  though  but  a  single  man,  was 
far  more  likly  to  apprehend  the  case  than  any  niim- 
ber  of  men  4,000  miles  away.     And  so  it  proved  a 
great  misfortune  that  the  votes  of  good  men  in  the 
Missionary  Board,  given  in  comparative  ignorance 
of  the  conditions  of  the  distant  problem  on  which 
they  were  voting,  were  put  into  the  scale  against 
the  sword  and  courage  and  judgment  of  Lee  when 
he  was  on  the  field,  and  i"lioroughly  informed  con- 
cerning what  they  were  comparatively  ignorant  of. 
But  it  must  be  remembered  that  all  this  occurred 
in  the  very  beginning  of  the  misionary  work  of 
Methodism  in  such  distant  fields.      Nor  must  it  be 
forgotten  that  we  are  estimating  a  character  and  a 
work  in  the  light  of  a  history  already  made;     a 
pioneer  character  in  a  field  of  Christian  achieve- 
ment, which,  since  his  day,  has  lifted  many  a  man 
to  greatness  who  followed  in  the  footste])s  of  his 
great  example,  and  vindicated  missions  and  mis- 
sionaries as  the  most  potential  instruments  of  hu- 
man advancement.     There  was,  in  this  first  great 


LEBS  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


331 


missionary  movement  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  Mr.  Lee  was  the  eminent  type, 
the  very  spirit  that  makes  for  the  ultimate  practical 
realization  of  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man. 
It  was  only  a  specific  unfoldment  of  a  genuine  fact 
announced  in  that  briefest  of  all  definitions  of  the 
design  and  means  of  human  redemption  in  the 
words,  "The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to  save  that 
which  was  lost."  The  Son  of  a  whole  humanity, 
He  came  to  save  a  whole  humanity.  It  is  the  faith 
and  purpose  of  Christendom  borne  into  the  heart 
of  the  New  Regeneration  when  the  "Son  of  Man" 
came.  This  is  why  Christianity  became  the  ger 
minal  force  of  the  world's  civilization.  It  goes  be- 
fore. It  is  the  pioneer.  Governments  may  forget 
or  overlook  it,  but  Christianity  never  can.  To  for- 
get or  overlook  it  would  be  to  unmissionize  her 
own  being.  What  she  carries  to  all  are  the  liberties 
she  has  achieved  for  herself.  She  carries  them  into 
the  world's  great  waste  of  darkness  and  captivity, 
in  the  best  symbols  and  types  of  her  most  exalted 
life,  the  product  of  her  own  truest  spirit.  Her  mis- 
sionaries are  her  princes  and  princesses;  carrying  to 
their  yet  unenfranchised  brothers  of  other  lands  not 
teaching  and  preaching  and  rituals  and  baptisms 
only,  but  refined,  virtuous  and  cultivated  civic  life; 
and  with  a  free  brother's  pure  heart  and  a  strong 


!l 

'1^ 

\l 

h .. 

332 


MISS  ION  A  R  Y  HfS  TOR  V. 


• 


brother's  helpful  hand  proffering  them  to  all  in  the 
name  of  Christianity  as  freely  as  flowed  the  Christ- 
blood  for  the  life  of  them  all.  Of  this  class  we 
have  said  Jason  Lee  was  the  pioneer  in  Methodist 
history.  We  do  not  forget  Melville  B.  Cox,  whose 
name  will  rise  to  the  memory  of  every  one  at  all 
read  in  Methodist  history  when  this  statement  is 
made.  Cox  was  a  splendid  prophecy  of  things 
that  might  be  but  never  were.  In  character  he 
was  a  hero,  in  purpose  he  had  a  large  comprehen- 
sion, and  in  consecration  he  was  divine.  Africa 
was  his  chosen  field.  He  entered  it  with  courage 
and  begun  his  work  with  a  large  faith  on  the  9th 
day  of  March,  1833.  Four  months  and  twelve  days 
thereafter  he  was  sleeping  in  death  amidst  the 
plans  of  his  field.  His  dying  cry:  "Let  a  thous- 
and die  before  Africa  be  given  up!"  became  the  in- 
spiration of  heroic  purpose  all  about  the  altars  of 
Methodism.  Lee  had  barely  time  to  hear  this 
thrilling  shout  of  battle  and  of  victory  from  the 
eastern  continent  before  he  began  his  march  to- 
wards the  western  shores  to  become  in  fact  what 
Cox  was  in  his  splendid  purpose,  the  first  of  the 
great  company  of  Methodist  Apostleship  to  set  the 
stamp  of  his  life  as  well  as  shed  the  glory  of  his 
death  on  the  story  of  her  missionary  work.  It  was 
only  twenty-nine  days  after  Cox  had  died  in  Af- 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


333 


rica  that  Jason  Lee  left  his  home  on  the  work  of 
preparing-  for  his  mission  in  Oregon. 

There  never  was  but  one  name  that  couki,  by 
any  possibiHty,  be  made  to  enter  the  lists  with  Lee 
for  foremost  place  in  the  true  story  of  Oregon's 
evangelization  and  civilization  That  was  the 
name  of  Dr.  Marcus  Whitmati.  In  a  subsequent 
chapter  on  the  "Missions  of  the  American  Board," 
we  shall  give  what  we  believe  to  be  a  fair  and  ap- 
preciative account  of  tl.is  noble  missionary  and 
splendid  man. 

Mr.  Lee  and  Dr.  Whitman  had  a  strangely  com- 
mon cast  of  life.  They  were  both  of  thorough 
New  England  ancestry.  The  parents  of  both  left 
New  England  about  the  same  time,  Mr.  Lee's  re- 
moving northward  into  Canada,  and  Dr.  Whit- 
man's westward  into  Central  New  York,  both  then 
— about  1800 — almost  unbroken  wildernesses.  The 
fathers  of  both  died  when  they  were  children  and 
they  were  left  to  the  care  of  widowed  mothers. 
Both  went  into  Massachusetts  for  education,  the 
first  at  Wilbraham,  the  other  at  Plainfield.  Bot!i 
spent  some  of  the  early  years  of  his  professional 
life  in  Canada,  the  one  as  a  minister  and  the  other 
as  a  physician.  Both  passed  through  the  early  dis- 
cipline of  hard  toil  on  the  farm  and  in  the  forests 
and   lumber  mills.     With   this  common   training, 


■•:    I.    . 


piiWIUPiipiHW 


Ul 


111!!         !:^ 


334 


A/ISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


and  the  not  less  strangely  similar  tendencies  of 
their  life,  they  were  now  put,  by  a  somewhat  singu- 
lar providence,  into  different  relations  to  the  field 
where  they  were  both  to  do  the  great  work  of  their 
lives. 

The  Missionary  Board  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  under  which  Mr.  Lee  was  to  go  to  the 
west,  immediately  established  and  equipped  a  full- 
orbed  mission,  shipped  an  abundant  supply  of 
goods  in  the  bark  "May  Dacre"  for  the  Columbia 
River  to  sustain  it,  and  Mr.  Lee  and  his  compan- 
ions were  on  the  way  to  meet  them  by  land  before 
the  snows  of  the  spring  of  1834  had  melted  from 
the  New  England  hills. 

The  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions,  instead  of  organizing  a  mission,  ap- 
pointed Rev.  Samuel  Parker  and  Messrs  Dunbar 
and  AUis  as  a  conmiission  to  go  and  "explore  the 
country."  They  went  westward  as  far  as  Sr. 
Louis,  but  Lee  and  his  helpers  were  far  on  their 
way  towards  the  distant  mountains,  and  Mr.  Par- 
ker returned  to  his  home  in  central  New  York. 
The  next  summer.  1835.  Dr.  Whitman  joined  Mr. 
Parker  and  proceeded  as  far  west  as  Green  River, 
and  then  returned  to  the  east  to  recommend  the 
establishment  of  a  mission,  and  Mr.  Parker  con- 
tinued his  explorations,  returning  home  via  the 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


335 


Sandwich  Islands  and  Cape  Horn  in  1836.  In  the 
autumn  of  1836,  just  two  years  after  Mr.  Lee  had 
fully  entered  on  his  work  in  Oregon,  Dr.  Whitman 
entered  upon  his,  though  their  missions  were  es- 
tablished two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  apart;  Mr. 
Lee's  in  the  heart  of  the  Willamette  and  Dr.  Whit- 
man's at  Waiiletpu,  far  in  the  interior.  As  we  have 
seen  before,  these  men,  so  very  like  each  other,  did 
not  meet  until  April  of  1838. 

Unquestionably  their  views  in  relation  to  the  in- 
terests of  Oregon,  and  the  means  proper  to  be 
adopted  in  order  to  secure  them  were  in  remarka- 
ble harmony.  How  far  this  resulted  from  their 
mental  and  moral  similitude,  or  how  far  from  con- 
sultation with  each  other,  it  is  perhaps  impossible 
to  determine.  Probably  there  was  something  of 
both  in  the  case,  yet  there  was  this  difference. 
Lee,  as  the  pioneer,  having  precedence  of  Whit- 
man by  two  years,  first  gave  form  and  expression 
to  the  action  desired  by  the  national  government, 
and.  as  representing  much  the  largest  missionary 
influence  in  Oregon,  probably  the  most  determin- 
ing expression.  Every  essential  principal^  that 
found  place  in  the  memorials  and  petitions  sent 
from  Oregon  to  Congress,  or  to  the  executive  of 
the  United  States,  up  to  the  time  of  the  final  ad- 
justment of  the  diplomatic  struggle  between  the 


'    I 


V  .y 


m-- 


^ 


ri 


:.ir- 


JJ*^ 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


United  States  and  Great  Britain,  in  1846,  is  found 
in  the  memorial  drawn  by  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Ed- 
wards in  March  of  1838.  This  memorial  was  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Lee,  who  was  on  his  way  to 
Washington  with  it  when  he  first  met  Dr.  Whit- 
man, in  April  of  1838,  at  Waiiletpu.  Tracing  the 
logical  line  of  cause  and  result  it  seems  clear  that 

A 

this  memorial  was  the  subject  of  conversation  be- 
tween Mr.  Lee  and  Dr.  Whitman  during  the  time 
that  Mr.  Lee  spent  with  Dr.  Whitman  and  the 
missions  under  his  charge  when  on  his  way  to  the 
United  States  with  the  memorial,  namely,  from  the 
14th  of  March  to  the  12th  of  April,  1838.  It  could 
not  have  been  otherwise.  These  kindred  souls 
could  not  have  been  in  close  and  confidential  com- 
munication on  the  very  field  for  which  they  were 
planning  so  wisely  and  patriotically,  and  for  whicli 
either  or  both  were  ready  to  sacrifice  life  itself, 
without  this.  The  record  in  Mr.  Lee's  journal  of 
the  dates  named  clearly  show  this.  Their  first 
meeting  is  thus  described: — 

"Dr.  Whitman  came  and  conducted  us  to  the 
house.  Mrs.  Whitman  met  us  at  the  door  and 
I  soon  found  myself  seated  and  engaged  in  earnest 
and  familiar  conversation  as  if  we  were  old  ac- 
quaintances." 

This  was  Saturday.  On  Sabbath,  the  15th  of 
April,   Mr.    Lee  said:    'T   had   a  very   interesting 


w  '^  I  Hy". 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


337 


time  pn^aching  to  the  Indians  while  the  Doctor 
interpreted." 

Mrs.  Whitman,  in  writing  ta  her  parents  after 
this  visit  of  Mr.  Lee  to  the  mission  of  Dr.  Whit- 
man, and  speaking  of  an  Indian  called  Umtippe, 
who  was  in  a  decline,  said: 

"Last  Saturday  he  came  here  on  purpose  to 
spend  the  Sabbath;  said  he  had  recently  three 
fainting  turns,  and  that  he  felt  he  should  not  live 
a  great  while.  *  *  *  Sabbath  morn,  after  the 
morning  worship  (Mr.  Lee  was  here  and  preached 
and  husband  interpreted),  he  (Umtippe)  said:  The 
truth  never  appeared  to  cheer  him  before.  Always, 
when  he  had  attended  worship,  his  mind  had  been 
on  those  about  him,  but  now  it  had  been  on  what 
was  said  to  him."  Mrs.  Whitman  said:  "Mr.  Lee 
has  spent  much  time  Avith  us,  and  we  have  been 
greatly  refreshed  by  his  prayers  and  conversation." 

Thus,  from  the  record  made  by  Mr.  Lee  and  also 
by  that  made  by  Mrs.  Whitman,  the  fact  appears 
that  these  two  men  were  in  long  consultation  and 
close  and  friendly  communion,  sanctified  and  made 
more  trustful  and  confiding  by  prayer,  on  the  great 
((uestions  with  which  their  names  were  destined  to 
have  such  a  magnificent  historic  connection.  But 
the  initiative  was  plainly  with  Lee,  because  the 
very  instrument  that  gave  potential  form  to  the 
great  policy  that  finally  wrought  so  much  for  Ore- 
gon, had  been  in  Lee's  possession,  signed  and  ready 
for  presentation  to  the  government,  for  weeks  be- 


Nl 


r    ? 


t:; 


III 


M-i'M 


338 


MISS  ION AR  V  HIS  TOR  Y. 


fore  they  met.  This  meeting  and  conference  oc- 
curred when  Dr.  Whitman  had  been  on  his  mission 
station  less  than  a  year  and  a  half,  and  when  Lee 
was  hundreds  of  miles  on  his  way  to  lay  the  docu- 
ment before  Congress  and  the  President. 

From  that  conference  Mr.  Lee  pushed  forward 
on  that  eastward  journey  which  has  already  been 
followed  by  our  readers.  He  discharged  the  great 
trust  the  people  of  Oregon  had  committed  to  him, 
as  he  discharged  every  trust,  with  truest  fidelity. 

Twenty-six  months  later,  at  the  head  of  the 
"great  reinforcement,"  he  was  again  in  Oregon, 
and  now  with  a  broader  and  mightier  initiative  in 
his  hand.  Dr.  Whitman  was  still  in  his  place;  still 
faithful,  as  he  also  ever  was.  Still  both  were  in- 
tent on  their  pious  and  patriotic  purpose.  Later 
Dr.  Whitman  was  in  Washington  urging  the  same 
things  that  Lee  had  urged  before  him.  On  the 
22d  day  of  June,  1844,  a  very  important  letter, 
with  a  synopsis  of  a  bill  that  Dr.  Whitman  suggest- 
ed as  desirable  for  Congress  to  pass,  was  received 
at  the  War  Department  in  Washington.  And  now 
appears  another  strange  coincidence.  Two  weeks 
before  that  letter  was  received  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment Jason  Lee  was  in  Washington  in  person  urg- 
ing on  the  President,  on  the  Secretaries  of  War 
and  of  State,  and  on  Senators  and  Representatives 


"  'f>r;^i  fm^f 


LEE'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 


339 


the  very  things  that  were  presented  in  substance 
in  the  letter  and  the  synopsis  of  a  bill  forwarded  by 
Dr.  Whitman  .  He  was  there  when  they  came, 
and  for  a  number  of  days  thereafter,  and  he  wa.s 
there  with  the  influence  of  a  formal  resolution  of 
the  Missionary  Board  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  to  sustain  and  reinforce  all  that  he  person- 
ally could  do  for  the  end  so  much  desired.  Thus, 
while  these  two  great  missionary  statesmen  held 
common  sentiments  and  sought  the  same  action  in 
regard  to  the  great  Northwest,  Lee,  who  was  by 
two  years  first  in  the  field,  and  who  stood  at  the 
head  of  much  the  largest  and  most  central  and  in- 
fluential missionary  and  American  community  on 
the  coast,  clearly  was  the  most  influential  personaU- 
ty  in  shaping  the  results  that  history  records  for  the 
Pacific  Northwest.  "To  this  complexion  we  must 
come  at  last."  Lee,  as  the  "Foreloper,"  guided 
by  the  marks  he  set  on  the  mountain  peaks  the 
tide  of  population  that  soon  began  to  chafe  against 
the  barriers  which  he  had  been  the  first  to  scale. 
De  Tocqueville  had  but  just  marked  the  facing- 
westward  of  the  conquering  race  of  earth,  and,  in 
this  most  majestic  and  impressive  sentence  had  put 
his  concept  of  its  conditions  and  its  destiny  on  his 

brilliant  page:  "This  gradual  and  continuous  pro- 
gress of  the  European  race  towards  the  Rocky 


A^ 


\  \ 


II 


iiifr 


m 


1    ■.'■I;' 


34f^ 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


Mountains   has    the  solemnity   of   a    providential 
event;  it  is  like  a  deluge  of  men  rising  unabatedly 
and  daily  driven  onward  by  the  hand  of  God."     He 
conceived     accurately.     It     was     a     providential 
event.     Nor  was  Lee  less  the  providential  leader 
of  the  providential  movement  than  was  the  move- 
ment   itself    providential.     In    it    was    the    force 
of  a  "divine  thrusting  on,"   the  mighty   though 
silent     genesis     of     a     sure     coming     kingdom 
that     would     march     out     of     the     old     times 
and  old   traditions  by   companies  and  regiments 
and  armies  following  the  lead  of  this  grim  and  stal- 
wart leader  of  men, — this  founder  of  civilizations. 
He  was  only  a  missionary,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  in 
that  fact   that   resided   his   power   to   accomplish 
what  God  wanted  done  on  the  Pacific  Coast.     It 
was  only  another  manifestation  of  God's  way  of 
subduing  all  things  unto  himself,  and  making  the 
new  heaven  and  the  new  earth  of  a  free  Christian- 
ized civilization.     Gladstone,  with  his  deep  Chris- 
tian vision,  penetrated  this  secret  of  God's  ways 
when  he  said.  "It  is  the  wretched  missionaries  that 
we  have   to   follow  into  Central   Africa,   and  we 
have  not  men   enough  to   send  to  govern   these 
])laces." 

What  he  said  of  Central  Africa  is  the  simple  fact 
everywhere.      Missionaries  go  into  savage  regions 


T^' 


LEE'S  PLACE  LW  If /STORY. 


^4r 


in  advance  of  soldiers  or  travelers.  All  tliroiii^li 
Africa,  China,  India,  America,  the  missionary  is  the 
pathfinder.  Merchants  follow,  then  governments 
find  their  pretexts.  Cecil  Rhodes  is  not  the  real 
fonnderbf  Rhodesia.  It  is  Moffat  and  Livhigston. 
Everywhere  the  blazoned  trail  of  the  missionary 
becomes  the  hig-hway  of  the  emigrant,  the  roadbed 
of  the  Pullman,  and  the  line  of  the  telegraph.  So 
the  footprints  of  Lee  were  the  guide  of  all  whn 
came  after  him  through  the  weary  wastes  of  the 
continent.  And  having  thus  jiioneered  the  way, 
Lee  and  his  company  gave  those  original  impulses 
to  the  moral  and  intellectual  life  of  Oregon  which 
have  held  that  life  through  all  the  story  of  the  com- 
monwealth. 

Jason  Lee's  work  can  never  die.  its  influence 
will  flow  on  "through  channels  measureless  by 
men"  forever.  His  place  as  first  and  most  influ- 
ential in  determining  the  course  of  history  in  the 
Northwest  can  never  be  successfully  contested. 
Careful  and  candid  historians  on  a  survey  of  the 
whole  field  of  the  decade  from  1834  to  1844,  that 
really  decided  the  character  and  position  of  Ore- 
gon, both  in  the  elements  of  its  intellectual  and  so- 
cial life  and  in  its  relation  to  the  United  States  can- 
not fail  to  see  that  he  was  first  in  every  movement 
that    determined    that    history.     It    was    a    great 


I 


342 


MISSION AR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


struggle,  and  great  and  good  men  were  in  various 
ways  agents  in  it  and  even  martyrs  to  it.  Yet  the 
splendid  eulogy  of  Napier  on  Ridge  from  the  field 
on  which  he  had  gloriously  died,  befits  Lee  best  of 
all:  "None  died  on  that  field  with  more  glory 
than  he.  Yet  many  died  and  there  was  much 
glory." 

A  man  who  stands,  as  this  man  stands,  at  the 
beginning  of  a  state  or  nation,  and  is  the  mould- 
ing and  fashioning  influence  of  that  beginning,  oc- 
cupies an  eminence  that  no  other  one  can  ever  at- 
tain. 


1  :n 


•;5!.    i; 


xvin. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


WHEN  Mr.  Lee  left  Oregon  in  the  autumn  of 
1844  he  left  che  mission  in  the  care  of  Rev, 
David  Leslie  as  superintendent.  After  his  depar- 
ture from  Honolulu  for  Mexico  on  his  way  to  the 
United  States,  Mr.  Hines  and  Dr.  Eabcock  took 
the  first  opportunity  that  offered  to  return  to  Ore- 
gon and  resume  their  places  in  the  Mission. 

They  arrived  in  the  Columbia  River  on  the  23d 
day  of  April,  1844,  and  a  few  days  thereafter  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Mission  occurred.  Pending 
the  arrival  of  Mr.  Gary,  the  newly  appointed  super- 
intendent, the  work  of  the  missionaries  was  ar- 
ranged as  follows:  David  Leslie,  Superintendent; 
to  supply  the  Willamette  settlement  with  preach- 
ing. Gustavus  Hines  was  appointed  to  Oregon 
City,  as  the  Willamette  Falls  was  now  called,  and 
Tualatin  Plains.  A.  F.  Waller  was  to  preach  to 
the  Indians  along  the  Willamette  River.  H.  K. 
W.  Perkins  was  to  remain  at  The  Dalles;  and  J. 
L.  Parrish  to  supply  Clatsop  Plains.  This,  with 
the  Mission  School  and  the  various  secular  depart- 
ments constituted  the  Oregon  Mission  when  Mr. 


ii 


344 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


Gary  arrived  at  Oregon  City  on  the  first  day  of 
June,  1844. 

As  the  Mission  had  now  come  to  a  new  initial, 
and  was  about  to  pass  under  an  administration 
whose  acts  were  to  be  in  a  great  measure  different 
from,  if  not  contrary  to,  the  order  under  the  admin- 
istration of  Mr.  Lee,  it  is  proper  that  we  give  some 
statement  of  its  condition  as  the  eld  regime  went 
out  and  the  new  came  in.  To  make  the  condition 
plain  a  few  facts  should  be  recorded. 

Let  it  be  first  observed  that  when  Mr.  Lee  was 
appointed  to  the  mission  in  1833  it  was  with  no 
thought  in  his  mind  or  the  mind  of  the  church, 
that  his  appointment  meant  anything  r'-ore  than  a 
purely  Indian  mission.  Indeed  this  was  the  case 
for  at  least  tv/o  years  after  he  had  established  him  ■ 
self  on  the  Willamette,  and  at  least  two  reinforce- 
ments had  come  to  him.  He  thought  of  nothing 
and  planned  for  nothing  beyond  this.  The  con- 
ception began  to  dawn  on  his  mind  with  and  after 
the  arrival  of  the  reinforcement  of  1837,  that,  what- 
ever he  and  the  Missionary  Hoard  believed  and 
planned  at  the  beginning.  God  had  a  better  and 
greater  design  in  the  planting  of  the  Mission  when 
and  where  it  was  planted  than  that.  This  is  shown 
in  the  tenor  of  all  his  reports  to  the  Board,  and  es- 
pecially in  his  pre])arations  for  his  jonvnex   across 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


345 


of 


the  plains  in  1838,  under  what  he  cjIIs  ''the  incon- 
ceivably delicate  circumstances"  attending  his  sep- 
aration from  his  companion  and  his  work,  because 
he  despaired  of  making-  the  condition  of  the  coun- 
try and  the  real  state  and  relations  of  the  Mission 
understood  by  letters.  What  would  have  been 
concluded  from  these  circumstances  was  made  ab- 
solutely certain  by  the  "memorial"  which  he  bore 
to  Cong-ress,  which  has  been  already  given  to  the 
reader.  He  saw  what  was  near:  the  speedy  ex- 
tinction of  the  Indian  tribes;  the  sure  and  swift 
coming-  of  an  American  population  to  occupy  the 
splendid  country  from  which  the  Indians  were  de- 
parting; and  for  the  very  purpose  of  preparing  for 
that  sure  coming  he  took  upon  himself  that  most 
self-denying  and  dangerous  journey.  What  ho 
communicated  to  the  Mis.sionary  Board  carried  it 
to  the  same  conclu.sion.  It  di.l  more;  it  carried 
the  government  of  the  United  States  to  the  same 
lielief.  so  that  it  co-operated  with  him  in  his  plans 
to  an  extent  hitherto  unprecedented  in  all  its  re- 
lations with  missionary  operations;  not  as  co-oper- 
ating in  and  sustaining  a  reli^^ious  propagandism 
<Mily.  but  as  aiding  to  establish  a  purely  American 
sentiment  and  settlement  in  a  valuable  country 
over  which  an  un-.\merican  power  was  endeavor- 
ing to  extend  its  authority.     With  his  plans  thus 


mr 


Tssssssnvi 


346 


MISS/ON  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


tl 


afi'l  ! 


far  sanctioned  and  successfully  initiated  in  the 
country  itself  in  the  summer  of  1840,  another  phase 
of  their  development  appeared. 

The  field  of  operations  was  greatly  enlarged. 
New  missionary  stations  were  selected,  one  of  the 
most  significant  of  which  was  Nesqually,  on  the 
borders  of  Puget  Sound,  nortli  of  the  Columbia 
River,  the  only  part  of  Oregon  believed  by  the 
British  residents  on  the  coast  indisputably  sure  of 
falling  into  the  possession  of  Great  Britain,  and 
the  only  part  for  which  that  government  ever  as 
serted  any  real  claim.  It  meant  something  to  plant 
an  American  Mission  on  those  splendid  seas  and  in 
this  debated  land.  With  this  enlargement  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  two  stations  heretofore  occupied — 
the  Willamette  and  The  Dalles — was  greatly 
strengthened,  so  that,  by  the  4th  of  July,  1840. 
Lee's  army  of  occupation  was  fixed  in  the  great 
strategic  centers  of  the  Northwest. 

Lee's  dispositions  were  admirable,  not  only  with 
respect  to  what  remained  of  the  Indian  tribes,  but 
also  to  the  field  which  his  sagacity  had  selected  as 
the  sure  heart  of  the  coming  empire  of  the  North- 
west. Before  1842  the  results  that  he  foresaw  in 
1837  began  to  accrete  about  his  work.  Enough 
whites  were  in  the  country  and  almost  entirely 
gathered  about  his  great  central  station  on  the 


Jli'tt 


-r-c 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED 


347 


Willamette,  to  make  government  a  necessity;  and 
thus  in  eight  years  his  Indian  Mission  had  gradua- 
ted into  a  civil  commonwealth;  waiting  and  long- 
ing for  the  government  of  the  United  States  to 
spread  over  the  weakness  of  the  infant  State  the 
aegis  of  her  protective  power. 

At  this  time  this  was  the  status  of  the  work  as  a 
Mission:  There  were  three  exclusively  Indian 
mission  stations,  namely.  The  Dalles,  Nesqually, 
and  Clatsop;  beside  which  one  man  was  employed 
traveling  at  large  among  the  Indians  on  the  Wil- 
lamette river.  Chemekete,  now  Salem,  and  the 
Willamette  Falls,  now  Oregon  City,  were  rapidly 
developing  into  exclusively  white  works.  The 
Mission  stations  by  priority  of  occupation,  held 
the  acknowledged  right  to  what  a  few  years  later 
was  made  a  legal  right  by  Congress,  a  mile  square 
of  land  at  each  mission  station;  or,  one  covering 
the  site  of  the  old  mission,  one  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent city  of  Salem,  one  at  Clackamas,  the  present 
"Gladstone  Park,"  one  the  site  of  the  present  city 
of  The  Dalles,  one  at  Clatsop,  the  most  popular 
seaside  resort  in  the  Northwest,  one  at  Nesqually, 
near  the  present  city  of  Tacoma.  on  Puget  Sound, 
and  Oregon  City.  All  these  points  were  occupied 
as  mission  stations,  and  fell  clearly  within  the  pro- 
visions of  the  law  of  Congress   regulating  such 


348 


MISSION  A  R }  •  HIS  TOR  V. 


claims    by    mission    stations  when    that    law    was 
passed  a  short  time  subsequently. 

The  clerical  members  of  the  mission  were  Rev. 
G.  Gary,  Rev.  David  Leslie,  Rev.  A.  F.  Waller, 
Rev.  G.  Hines,  Rev.  H.  K.  W.  Perkins,  besides 
whom  Rev.  J.  L.  Parrish,  a  local  preacher,  was  em- 
ployed in  ministerial  service.  The  lay  members 
were  George  Abernethy,  mission  steward  at  Ore- 
gon City;  H.  B.  Brewer,  farmer  at  The  Dalles; 
W.  W.  Raymond,  farmer  at  Clatsop;  Hamilton 
Campbell,  mechanic  at  Chemekete;  and  Ira  L. 
Babcock,  physician.  The  Indian  Manual  Labor 
School  was  also  in  operation  in  the  fine  edifice  that 
had  been  erected  for  it  by  Mr.  Lee.  This  was  the 
condition  of  the  mission  as  a  whole  when  Mr.  Gary 
reached  Oregon  City  and  took  charge  of  it  on 
the  1st  day  of  June,  1844. 

As  we  have  said  in  a  former  chapter,  the  Mis- 
sionary Board  had  put  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Gary 
plenary  powers  as  to  all  matters  connected  with 
the  Mission.  Whether  it  should  be  continued  on  its 
former  basis,  or  should  adopt  entirely  different 
principles  of  administration,  was  for  him  to  deter- 
mine. Within  a  week  after  his  arrival  he  sum 
moned  the  members  of  the  mission  to  meet  at  the 
Manual  Labor  School  for  consultation  in  regar  I 
to  the  interests  involved.    The  meeting  began  on 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


349 


was 

Rev. 
/■aller, 
esides 
iS  em- 
mbers 
t  Ore- 
3alles ; 
milton 

Ira  L. 
Labor 
ce  that 
vas  the 
r.  Gary 
f  it  on 

he  Mis- 
r.  Gary 
ed  with 
^d  on  its 
different 
o  deter - 
he  sum- 
et  at  the 
1 1  regar  \ 
jegan  on 


Ihe  morning  of  the  7th  of  June,  and,  such  was  the 
interest  evolved  that  it  continued  in  session  all 
night.  Two  conclusions  were  reached  by  the  Su- 
perintendent at  this  meeting  and  announced,  name- 
ly, first,  that  all  the  mission  claims  should  be  dis- 
posed of  with  the  exception  of  those  at  Chemekete 
and  The  Dalles,  and  the  Indian  missions  aban- 
doned except  at  these  two  places,  and  the  mill  and 
stock  and  other  mission  property  should  be  sold. 
Second,  that  the  laymen  connected  with  the  mis- 
sions should  be  dismissed,  and  the  Superintendent 
would  pay  their  expenses  home  if  they  wished  to 
go,  or,  if  they  desired  to  remain  in  the  country, 
pay  them  an  equivalent  of  their  passage  home  in 
such  property  as  the  Mission  possesseil  in  Oregon. 
This  was  an  entirely  honorable  proposition  to- 
wards the  laymen,  and  all  but  one — Dr.  I.  L.  Bab- 
cock — chose  to  remain  in  the  country,  and  prop- 
erty to  the  amount  of  $800  to  $1,000  was  dis- 
bursed to  each  family.  This  action  left  quite  a 
number  of  the  very  best  and  most  influential  fam- 
ilies of  Oregon's  pioneers  as  permanent  residents 
of  the  country,  among  whom  was  the  family  of 
George  Abernethy,  whose  place  in  the  building  of 
Oregon  will  be  more  fully  identified  further  on  in 
our  history.  These  were  all  the  questions  deter- 
mined at  this  meeting.    The  appointments  of  the 


350 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


preachers  to  ministerial  and  missionary  labors 
made  before  his  arrival  were  confirmed  by  Mr. 
Gary.  It  was  also  judged  improper  to  discontinue 
the  Indian  mission  at  The  Dalles,  and  consequent- 
ly Mr.  H.  B.  Brewer,  the  layman  in  charge  of  the 
mission  farm  at  that  place,  was  retained  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  mission.  '  ' 

On  the  26th  of  June  another  meeting  of  the  mis- 
sionaries was  called  by  Mr.  Gary  to  consider  mat- 
ters relating  to  the  Indian  Mission  Manual  Labor 
School.  He  had  decided  to  close  the  school  and 
dispose  of  the  property  connected  with  it. 

This  school  had  been  the  very  heart  and  hope  of 
the  Oregon  Mission  so  far  as  the  Indians  were 
concerned.  It  was  established  before  Mr.  Lee  had 
his  mission  house  completed  in  the  autumn  of 
1834.  Under  the  care  of  Cyrus  Shepard  and  others 
it  had  accomplished  much  good  for  the  Indians 
during  the  ten  years  that  had  elapsed  since  its  or- 
ganization. Of  course  as  the  Indians  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  school  diminished  in  numbers 
the  attendance  upon  the  school  decreased,  and,  in 
Mr.  Gary's  opinion,  did  not  at  the  present  time 
justify  its  continuance.  This  view  of  Mr.  Gary's 
was  not  by  anv  means  unanimously  sustained  bv 
the  members  of  the  mission.  Some  of  the  oldest 
and  most  steadfast  and  capable  of  the  missionaries 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED, 


35^ 


opposed  it.  Notable  among-  these  was  Mr.  Waller 
among  the  ministers  and  Mr.  Willson  among  the 
laymen.  But  it  was  in  harmony  with  the  "policy" 
the  Missionary  Board  had  adopted,  and  Mr.  Gary 
decided  to  adhere  to  that  policy,  close  the  school, 
and  dispose  of  the  property  connected  with  it. 
The  property  consisted  of  the  Manual  Labor 
School  building,  which  cost  the  mission  $10,000, 
and  a  square  mile  of  land,  which,  as  before  stated, 
covered  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  present  city 
of  Salem.  The  capitol  building  of  the  State  of 
Oregon  now  stands  very  near  the  center  of  the 
claim  known  as  the  "Mission  claim." 

It  is  a  very  interesting  fact  to  note  here,  par- 
enthetically, that,  on  the  very  day  this  resolve  was 
announced  by  Mr.  Gary  at  Salem,  Mr.  Lee  was  in 
Washington  City  under  direction  of  the  Mission- 
ary Board  in  New  York,  pressing  upon  the  atten- 
tion of  the  President  and  the  Secretaries  of  State 
and  of  War,  together  with  that  of  Senators  and 
Representatives  in  Congress  the  recognition  of  the 
right  of  the  mission  to  the  very  tracts  of  land  that 
were  thus  being  transferred  by  Mr.  Gary  from  the 
Mission  in  Oregon.  From  all  he  received  assur- 
ances that  they  considered  the  claim  just,  and  it 
would  certainly  be  recognized  by  the  government. 
No  stronger  vindication  of  the  wisdom  of  the  gen- 


•^ 

! 

\i    i. 


JS^ 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


•1.^1 


eral  policy  and  purpose  of  Mr.  Lee's  administra- 
tion could  possibly  be  made  than  is  made  in  this 
incident.  In  the  present  day  of  telegraphs  and 
lightning  expresses  no  such  faux-pas  could  possi- 
bly be  perpetrated. 

With  the  decision  to  dispose  of  the  property  of 
the  school  the  question  of  how  it  should  be  done 
became  a  vital  one.  .  ,  ; 

Certainly  Mr.  Gary  meant  to  be  true  to  Method- 
ism in  the  adjustments  he  made  of  all  these  ques- 
tions, as  he  saw  them  with  less  than  one  month's 
residence  in  the  country,  and  with  the  preposses- 
sions of  mind  received  before  he  left  New  York. 
He  could  not  have  intended  otherwise.  His  plan 
therefore  contemplated  such  an  arrangement  as 
might  yet  leave  the  property  in  such  stead  as  to 
make  it  administer  to  the  future  advancement  of 
the  church  in  Oregon.  So  his  mind  turned  from 
the  Manual  Labor  School  to  the  "Oregon  Insti- 
tute," and  he  resolved,  if  he  found  it  practicable, 
at  a  low  price  to  transfer  the  property  to  the  trus- 
tees of  that  institution.  As  a  subsequent  chapter 
will  be  devoted  to  the  early  history  of  that  institu- 
tion, it  is  only  needful  to  say  here  that  the  trustees 
of  the  "Oregon  Institute"  had  succeeded  in  erect 
ing  a  building  at  an  expense  of  about  $4,000  at  a 
point  about  three  miles  north  of  the  Labor  School. 


till 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


353 


but  had  not  opened  a  school  in  it  when  Mr.  Gary 
came  to  the  resohition  spoken  of  above.  The  site 
of  the  Labor  School  was  far  more  eligible  than 
that  of  the  Institute,  and  the  land  claim  of  the 
mission  was  considered  at  that  time  far  the  most 
valuable  in  Oregon,  unless  it  might  have  been  the 
Oregon  City  claim.  Mr.  Gary  proposed  to  turn  it 
over  to  the  trustees  of  the  institute  for  the  nom- 
inal sum  of  $4,000,  less  than  half  that  it  had  cost 
the  Missionary  Society  to  erect  the  building  only 
three  years  before.  Having  an  opportunity  to  di<'- 
pose  of  their  property  for  $3,000,  the  trustees  of 
the  Institute  accepted  the  offer  of  ^\x.  Gary,  and 
the  Oregon  Mission  Manual  Labor  School  and  the 
square  mile  of  land  connected  with  it  became  the 
property  of  the  Oregon  Institute.  We  are  here 
only  showing  the  disposition  made  by  Mr,  Gary  of 
the  property  holdings  of  the  Missionary  Board 
through  the  mission  established  by  Mr.  Lee  up  to 
the  time  of  his  supersedure  in  the  superintendency 
of  the  Oregon  Indian  Missions  by  the  Board  in  the 
appointment  of  George  Gary. 

There  remained  now  but  two  mission  stations 
with  property  claims  and  interests  to  be  adjusted. 
One  was  Oregon  City  and  the  other  The  Dalles. 
.■\t  Oregon  City  the  Mission  as -such  deemed  it 
wisest  not  to  fde  any  claim  as  against  that  of  Dr. 


in., 


Itii  •: 


354 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


i 


^^ffll 


John  McLoughlin,  Chief  Factor  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  at  Vancouver,  who  had  made  some 
movement  towards  the  occupation  of  that  valua- 
ble property  before  the  mission  was  established. 
Perhaps  all  in  the  country  at  that  time,  Mr.  Lee 
included,  did  not  consider  the  claim  of  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin, as  a  British  subject  and  the  head  of  a 
great  British  corporation,  such  a  claim  as  would 
be  recognized  in  law  when  the  government  of  the 
United  States  should  extend  its  jurisdiction  over 
the  country,  which  they  believed  it  was  sure  to  do 
in  a  short  lime.  Mr.  Lee,  however,  beheving  that 
there  were  equities  if  not  law  in  Dr.  McLoughlin's 
favor,  forbore  action  in  the  premises  and  obtained 
^vhat  property  the  mission  held  in  Oregon  City 
proper  by  quit  claim  from  Dr.  McLoughUn.  The 
mission  work  at  this  general  point  was  mostly 
done  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  at  The  Falls, 
and  at  the  villages  on  the  Clackamas  where  "Glad- 
stone Park"  is  now  situated,  and  where  the  Mis- 
sion had  a  farm,  and  a  claim  of  a  square  mile  of 
land.  This  stood  in  exactly  the  same  relation  to 
the  Board  as  did  the  claim  at  The  Dalles  and  at 
Salem. 

It  is  proper  that  we  say  here  that  much  contro- 
versy arose  at  Oregon  City  through  the  fact  that 
Rev.  A.  F.  Waller  filed  a  claim  in  his  own  behalf  on 


|i|;iii 


INDIAN  MISSrONS  CLOSED. 


355 


the  land  to  which  Dr.  McLoughlin  was  also  lay- 
nig  claim,  on  the  ground  that  the  latter,  being  a 
British  subject,  could  not  obtain  title  under  the 
land  laws  of  the  United  States.  With  this  the 
Mission,  as  such,  had  no  connection  whatever,  and 
hence  this  history  does  not  deal  with  the  question 
further  than  to  say  that  Mr.  Waller's  claim  lapsed 
l\v  his  removal  from  Oregon  City,  if  he  did  not 
previously  withdraw  it,  before  the  United  States 
extended  jurisdiction  over  Oregon.  Congress  af- 
terwards passed  a  law  ignoring  the  claim  of  Dr. 
McLoughlin,  and  setting  apart  the  Oregon  City 
claim  for  the  endowment  of  a  university  for  Ore- 
gon. Later  the  legi-slature  of  Oregon,  satisfied 
that  equity  demanded  that  action,  confirmed  the 
land  to  the  estate  of  Dr.  McLoughlin;  not,  how- 
ever, until  after  the  death  of  that  noble  pioneer. 

There  remained  yet  the  mission  at  The  Dalles, 
called  originally  Wascopam,  to  be  disposed  of. 
This  has  been  the  most  successful  of  the  Method- 
ist missions  so  far  as  their  relations  to  the  Indian 
population  was  concerned.  It  lay  east  of  the  Cas- 
cade Mountains,  and  entirely  removed  from  the 
encroachments  of  white  settlement.  Aside  from 
those  connected  with  the  missions  and  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  posts,  there  was  not  a  white  man  resi- 
dent between  the  Cascade  and  Rocky  Mountains 


t>. 


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MISSION AK  y  HIS  TOR  K 


in  1844,  and  the  Indians  seemed  determined  to  re- 
sist their  coming  on  any  other  pretext.  The 
selection  of  the  location  at  this  place  was  made 
with  rare  judgment.  The  mission  buildings  were 
admirably  located,  and  the  cultivated  farm  of  the 
mission  covered  the  finest  residence  portion  of  the 
present  city  of  The  Dalles,  while  the  land  claim  of 
one  mile  square  embraced  nearly  all  of  the  land 
now  occupied  by  this  beautiful  and  prosperous 
city.  It  was  the  one  location  on  the  Columbia 
river  east  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  for  a  distance 
of  half  a  thousand  miles,  where  nature  had  clearly 
predestined  that  coming  civilization  should  build 
a  mart  of  commerce  a'nl  of  culture.  The  Hudson', 
Bay  Company  had  passed  it  by  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  The  missionaries  of  the  American 
Board,  Whitman,  Spaulding  and  Gray,  passed  it 
by  in  1836,  before  the  mission  of  Mr.  Lee  was  at 
all  prepared  to  establish  a  station  east  of  the 
mountains.  As  soon  as  that  were  possible,  in 
1837,  Mr.  Lee  occupied  this  gateway  of  the  great 
"Inland  Empire."  In  view  of  these  facts  this  mis- 
.sion  to  the  Indians  was  continued. 

While  these  changes  were  being  made  in  Ore- 
gon, and  on  the  very  days  that  they  were  being 
consummated  by  Mr.  Gary,  Mr.  Lee  was  before 
the   Missionary   Board   in   New  York  explaining 


w 


eITO'' 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


357 


the  value  of  the  property  that  the  mission  had  ac- 
(|uired  in  Oregon,  and  expressing  the  opinion  that 
it  was  even  then  worth  nearly  enough  to  compen- 
sate the  Board  for  all  the  expense  it  had  incurred 
in  establishing  and  maintaining  the  mission  up  to 
that  time.  That  amounted,  as  stated  by  the  sec- 
retary of  the  Board,  Dr.  Charles  Pittman,  to  $ioo,- 
ooo.  In  this  estimate  of  Mr.  Lee  the  land  was 
not  included,  and  Mr.  Lee  said,  in  regard  to  the 
l)robability  of  securing  title  to  that,  "from  the 
President  down  all  acknowledge  that  the  Mission 
is  entitled  to  that."  These  claims  Mr.  Lee  con- 
sidered then  worth  $40,000,  at  which  estimate,  if 
realized,  the  Board  would  have  been  more  than  re- 
imbursed for  all  its  expenditures  for  the  mission. 
The  amount  of  outlay  seemed  large,  very  large, 
to  the  Board.  But  when  we  take  Mr.  Lee's  ex- 
planations into  view  we  can  readily  understand 
that  the  church,  up  to  that  time,  had  established 
no  mission  that  it  was  so  difficult  and  expensive  to 
maintain  as  was  the  mission  in  Oregon.  While 
speaking  on  this  subject  before  the  Missionary 
Board  on  the  ist  of  July,  1844.  Mr.  Lee  said: — 

"This  apparently  enormous  expenditure  was  in 
a  great  measure  owing  to  the  immense  distance, 
the  transportation  there,  the  extra  expense  of  out- 
fit, the  return  of  missionaries,  the  freight  of  goods. 
&c.,  &c.     The  distance  between  this  country  and 


m 


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■an^pi 


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<  I'  11' 


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. 


11   f 


SS^ 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


Oregon  is  the  great  vortex  that  has  swallowed  up 
$40,000  of  this  money." 

The  reader  will  remember  that  he  is  reading 
words  spoken  about  Oregon  fifty-five  years  ago. 
Interchanges  between  New  York  and  the  Colum- 
bia River  could  only  be  made  once  a  year,  and 
then  by  pack  horses  2,000  miles  or  by  sail  around 
Cape  Horn,  a  voyage  of  eight  months.  The  Mis- 
sionary Board  had  made  but  a  single  experiment 
in  establishing  a  foreign  mission  before  this  one. 
and  that  was  Liberia,  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa, 
within  comparatively  easy  reach  of  New  York.  Tt 
can  hardly  be  accounted  a  wonder,  therefore,  with 
the  Board  in  New  York  and' Mr.  Lee  in  Oregon, 
two  thousand  miles  away  from  the  nearest  mail 
line,  and  compelled  to  avail  themselves  of  any 
chance  and  fugitive  sailor  or  mountaineer  who 
might  be  crossing  the  mountains  or  the  sea  to  con- 
vey letters  and  paptis  between  the  two,  they 
should  fail  to  understand  the  questions  involved 
in  the  administration  alike.  Not  only  in  war  and 
in  the  courses  of  diplomacy  do  great  events  turn 
on  what  appear  to  be  slight  incidents,  but  the  same 
is  true  in  the  more  elevated  fields  of  religious  strat- 
egy and  work.  Perhaps  this  was  never  more  fully 
shown  than  in  the  case  of  Lee  and  the  Oregon  Mis- 
sion. 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


359 


With  the  change  that  had  beeti  effected  there 
was  little  to  be  done  in  the  field  in  Oregon  but  for 
the  laborers  in  it  to  go  forward  in  the  ordinary 
courses  of  work  and  wait  for  results.  These  it  was 
yet  impossible  to  calculate.  While  the  course  of 
the  superintendent  in  thus  .summarily  closing  all 
these  operations  of  the  mission  that  related  to 
property,  and  endeavoring  to  make  them  all  of  a 
purely  spiritual  character  doubtless  met  with  gen- 
eral approval,  or  at  least  did  not  meet  with  disap- 
proval, it  was  not  by  some  of  the  most  astute  and 
far  seeing  believed  to  be  altogether  of  promising 
augury  for  the  future.  They  appreciated,  better 
than  Mr.  Gary,  who  had  been  in  the  country  but  a 
few  weeks,  possibly  could,  that  Oregon  was  now 
passing  through  a  period  of  transition.  They  saw 
that  the  forms  of  its  civil  life  were  on  the  eve  of 
some  radical  and  far  reaching  change.  Just  what 
that  change  might  be  they  could  not  surely  tell, 
but  they  believed  that  it  would  soon  pass  out  of 
its  long  continued  doubtful  relations  to  the  United 
States  government  and  become  an  integral  part  of 
the  American  Union.  With  this  change  it  seemed 
l)ut  reasonable  to  them  to  suppose  that  the  mis- 
.sion  itself  would  naturally  and  easily  take  on  the 
ordinary  habit  of  the  Methodist  autonomy,  and  in 
a  few  years  what  had  come  into  its  possession  by 


I 


36o 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


•:!l  i 


the  very  necessary  conditions  of  its  existence  as  an 
Indian  mission  would  l)ecome  a  source  of  incalcu- 
lable aid  in  the  ultimate  prosecution  of  the  work 
of  the  church  in  Oregon.  They  clung  to  the  In- 
(I'ans  and  the  Indian  missions  with  the  tenacity 
with  which  faithful  men  cling  to  the  work  in  which 
they  have  invested  the  love  of  their  heart  and  the 
strength  of  their  life. 

Mr.  Gary  had  reached  the  mission  station  at 
Oregon  City,  where  Mr.  Hines  was  stationed,  and 
where  the  mission  store  under  the  direction  of 
George  Abernethy,  the  steward  of  the  Mission, 
was  located,  on  the  ist  day  of  June.  Before  the 
1st  of  August  all  these  far  reaching  changes  had 
been  made.  Very  soon  thereafter  Rev.  H.  K.  W. 
Perkins,  who  had  succeeded  Daniel  Lee  in  charge 
of  the  Indian  Mission  at  The  Dalles,  returned  to 
his  old  home  in  New  England,  leaving  in  the  field 
in  the  regular  ministry  only  George  Gary,  David 
Leslie,  A.  F.  Waller  and  G.  Hines.  Mr.  Waller 
was  appointed  in  charge  of  The  Dalles  station  to 
succeed  Mr.  Perkins.  Mr.  Leslie  had  charge  of  the 
Willamette  settlements,  and  Mr.  Hines  of  Orf'gon 
City  and  Tualatin  Plains.  Mr.  Gary,  the  Superin- 
tendent, and  his  wife,  resided  with  Mr.  Hines  at 
Oregon  City,  bestowing  his  missionary  labors 
where  need  most  required  in  the  whole  field.     As 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


J6f 


with  this  notice  Rev.  H.  K.  W.  Perkin's  name  dis- 
appears from  the  record  of  Oregon  missionary 
work,  it  is  due  that  a  brief  note  of  his  personal 
character  and  work  in  the  mission  should  be  given. 
Like  nearly  all  who  participated  in  the  earliest 
missionary  work  in  Oregon,  Mr.  Perkins  was  of 
pure  New  England  blood.  He  was  born  in  Pen 
obscott,  Maine,  November  21,  18 12.  He  was  ed- 
ucated at  Kent's  Hill  Seminary,  entered  the  itiner- 
ancy in  the  New  England  Conference,  and  in  1836 
was  chosen  as  a  missionary  to  Oregon,  arriving  In 
the  Columbia  River  about  the  first  of  September, 
1837.  Early  in  March  ensuing  the  establishment 
of  a  new  mission  at  "Wascopam" — The  Dalles — 
was  determined  on  and  Mr.  Perkins  was  appointed 
to  its  ser\-ice.  Something  of  his  work  there  has 
been  noted  previously  in  this  volume,  and  will  not 
be  recounted.  This  was  the  only  station  that  Mr. 
Perkins  occupied  in  Oregon  and  here  he  evinced 
his  zeal  and  devotion  in  a  remarkable  degree.  His 
piety  was  deep,  almost  mystical  in  character. 
Some  dicuments  from  his  pen  in  the  hands  of  the 
writer  show  him  to  have  had  consilerable  literary 
culture,  and  to  rank  as  a  writer  among  the  first  of 
the  several  excellent  writers  who  graced  the  ranks 
of  the  early  Methodist  missionaries  in  Oregon. 
After  his  return  to  the  east  he  traveled  as  a  minis- 


If.  I, 


369 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


ter  in  Maine  several  years,  then  removed  to  Massa- 
chusetts, where  lie  labored  independently,  mostly 
in  Boston  and  vicinity,  until  his  death  in  Somer- 
ville,  Massachusetts,  April  16,  1884.  His  work  in 
Oregon  among  the  Indians  was  probably  more 
successful  than  that  of  any  other  man  connected 
with  the  Methodist  Missions.  It  extended  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River  to  far  above 
The  Dalles,  and  was  pursued  with  a  heroism  that 
was  admirable.  His  name  deserves  a  high  place  in 
the  records  of  the  Oregon  Mission. 

No  further  changes  occurred  in  the  mission  re- 
quiring special  notice  until  August  of  1845.  Mr. 
Gary  at  this  time  began  to  feel  that  the  work  for 
which  he  came  to  Oregon  was  accomplished,  and 
an  opportunity  for  a  passage  to  Boston  occurring, 
he  seriously  entertained  the  purpose  of  returning 
home.  Besides  he  thought  one  man  could  be 
spared  from  the  work  of  the  mission.  He  there- 
fore proposed  lo  Mr.  Hines  that  one  of  the  two 
should  return  to  the  east  at  that  time,  and  left  it 
to  the  latter  to  decide  which  it  should  be,  propos- 
ing, if  Mr.  Hines  should  remain  to  leave  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  mission  with  him.  Owing  lo 
the  fact,  however  that  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Lee  re- 
mained in  his  care,  and  that  Mr.  Lee  himself  was 
in  the  east   and  there  was  no  certainty  that  he 


mm 


)  Massa- 
,  mostly 
Somer- 
work  in 
ly  more 
3nnectecl 
led  from 
ir  above 
lism  that 
I  place  in 


ission  re- 
H5-     Mr. 
work  for 
shed,  and 
)ccurring, 
returning 
could   be 
He  there- 
f  the  two 
and  left  it 
e,  propos- 
the  super - 
Owing  to 
Ir.  Lee  re- 
imself  was 
ty   that   he 


■pp 


'  M 


KKV.  (irSTAVrS  TTTXES. 


#^l 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


3^3 


would  ever  return  to  Oregon,  Mr.  Hines  and  his 
family  felt  it  a  duty  to  take  this  opportunity  of 
returning  the  beloved  daughter  to  the  embrace  of 
her  devoted  and  noble  father.  Accordingly  they 
returned  to  the  eastern  states  and  Mr.  Gary  re- 
main^rd  in  Oregon.  Here  occurred  again  a  strange 
illustration  of  the  wide  separation  between  the  At- 
lantic and  Pacific  seaboards  at  that  time.  Mr. 
Hines  with  his  family,  including  Mr.  Lee's  daugh- 
ter, did  not  leave  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River 
until  the  13th  day  of  September.  Mr.  Lee  had 
then  been  quietly  sleeping  in  his  honored  grave  six 
months  and  one  day,  ynd  yet  no  information  of  his 
death  had  been  received  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Hines 
and  family  returned  by  the  way  of  China  and  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  reaching  New  York  on  the 
4th  day  of  May,  1846,  when,  tor  the  first  time, 
they  learned  that  the  daughter  had  come  only  to 
find  the  long-sleeping  dust  of  her  father;  and  to 
know  him  only  in  the  faintest  memories  of  very 
early  childhood. 

By  the  same  ship  that  took  Mr.  Hines  from  the 
country  Mr.  Gary  forwarded  conmiunications  to 
the  Board  at  New  York  requesting  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  successor  in  the  superintendency  of  the 
Mission,  as  he  desired  to  return  to  the  States  as 
early  as  the  Board  could  dispense  with  his  services 


V 


iiili'ii 


■'  V 


t 


3^4 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


in  Oregon.    Pending  the  appointment,  and  in  pur- 
snance  of  the  poHcy  he  had  adopted  on  his  arrival 
in  the  country,  he  entered  into  negotiations  with 
Dr.    Whitman,   of   the   American    Board,    for   the 
transfer  of  the  station  at  The  Dalles  tn  that  Board, 
and  the  consequent  withdrawal  ot  the  Methodist 
Board  from  all   the  region  east   of  the  Cascade 
Mountains.     This,    as   our  readers   have   already 
seen,  was  the  last,  as  it  had  always  been  the  most 
successful,  of  the  Indian  missions  of  the  Metho- 
dist   Episcopal   Church   in   Oregon.      Rev.   A.    F. 
Waller,  a  most  resolute  and  persevering  man,  was 
in  charge,  and  the  farm  was  under  the  superinten- 
dence of  Mr.  H.   B.  Brewer,  a  man  of  excellent 
judgment  and  well  balanced  character.    The  prop- 
osition of  Mr.  Ciary  to  Dr.  Whitman  was  to  give 
the  station  and  all  the  interests  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal   Church  in  it   to  the  American  Bqard, 
and  the  Doctor  was  to  pay  for  some  fixtures,  tools, 
stock,   etc.,    which   amounted    to   $600.     All    the 
rights  of  the  mission,  possessory  and  prospective, 
to. the  land  claim  of  640  acres  under  the  Provis- 
ional government   or  that  of  the  United  States, 
were  quit  claimed  to  the  American  Board  without 
any   consideration.      Both    Mr.    Brewer   and    Mr. 
Waller  strongly  opposed  the  trarsfer,  but  it  was 
agreed  to  by  Mr.  Gary  and  Dr.  Whitman  and  both 
prepared  to  carry  it  into  effect.     ■ //'  ■,•;       .  viu.. 


f^ 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


365 


Meantime  the  Bishop  having  charge  of  foreign 
missions  had  appointed  Rev.  William  Roherts,  of 
the  Nt  w  Jersey  Conference,  superintendent  of  the 
Oregon  Mission,  who,  acconianied  by  Rev.  James 
H.  Wilbur,  of  the  Black  River  Conference,  sailed 
from  New  York  on  the  27th  day  of  November. 
1 840,  for  the  work  which  they  were  appointed. 
They  arrived  in  June,  1847.  In  July  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gary  took  their  departure  for  the  eastern  states, 
and,  on  his  departure  Mr.  Roberts  took  charge  of 
the  Mission  as  Superintendent.  As  the  actual 
transfer  of  the  premises  of  the  Mission  at  The 
Dalles  had  not  been  made,  in  August  Mr.  Roberts 
and  Dr.  Whitman  met  at  that  station  for  the  con- 
clusion of  the  contract  made  by  Mr.  Gary.  Mr. 
Waller  and  Mr.  Brewer  had  not  changed  their 
minds  in  regard  to  the  unwisdom  of  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  mission  made  by  Mr.  Gary.  After  pa- 
tient consideration  Mr.  Roberts  evidently  sympa- 
thized with  their  views,  but  he  did  not  feel  at  liber- 
ty to  undo  what  Mr.  Gary,  no  doubt  under  the  ad- 
vice of  the  Missionary  Board,  had  done.  Accord- 
ingly in  September.  1847,  Mr.  Perrin  Whitman,  a 
nephew  of  Dr.  Whitman,  and  Mr.  Alanson  Hin- 
man  took  charge  of  the  mission  premises  and  prop- 
erty for  Dr.  Whitman  and  the  American  Board, 
and  Mr.  Waller  and  Mr.  Brewer  and  their  families 


"WIP^P 


,i! 


Wt 


n 


.  )!     1 


^66 


MISSIONAR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


removed  to  the  Willamette.  Thus  the  last  Indian 
mission  established  by  Jason  Lee  in  Oregon  was 
discontinued,  and  in  their  place  was  instituted  a 
Work  connected  with  the  white  race  that  was  now 
fast  supplanting-  them  on  the  fields  of  their  for- 
mer possessions.  The  brief  space  of  but  fourteen 
years  had  passed  since  Mr.  Lee  had  entered  thai 
field,  then  populous  with  Indian  tribes.  Practical- 
ly west  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  the  tribes  had 
disappeared.  Lee  himself  had  gone  home  to  his 
immortal  crowning-.  East  of  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains the  Indians  were  yet  roaming  in  nearly  their 
old  numbers.  Few  whites  except  the  missionaries 
of  the  American  Board  were  yet  domiciled  there. 
But  everywhere  among  these  tribes  there  was  an 
ominous  fear;  a  furtive,  watchful,  apprehensive, 
shivering  glance  of  their  dark  vision  as  it  swept 
the  dreaded  and  stormy  horizon  of  decaying 
hope  as  it  shut  down  close  to  their  eye.  Within 
three  months  of  the  time  Mr.  Roberts  and  Dr. 
Whitman  met  at  The  Dalles  every  Indian  mission 
east  of  the  Cascc;de  Mountains  was  to  be  closed 
with  a  shock  that  made  all  Oregon,  indeed  all 
American  Christianity  tremble.  That  story  is  for 
another  chapter.  It  seems,  however,  proper  at 
this  point  to  consider  briefly  some  characteristics 
of  the  Indian  race  that  account,  so  far  as  that  peo- 


INDIAN  MISSIONS  CLOSED. 


367 


pie  are  concerned,  for  the  inevitable  results  that 
are  here  recorded.  While  we  do  not  believe  that 
because  a  mere  material  casuistry  calls  these  mis- 
sions a  failure  they  were  such,  we  do  believe  that, 
as  a  race,  the  Indians  have  furnished  the  least 
hopeful  field  for  permanent  religious  culture  the 
church  has  ever  experimented.  Our  views  have 
come  from  a  wide  personal  contact  with  them, 
among-  many  tribes,  for  more  than  forty  years. 

There  appears,  in  fact,  no  political  instinct  in 
the  Indian  race.  The  civic  idea  is  hardly  observa- 
ble among  them.  In  the  history  of  the  world  there 
have  been  few  peoples  so  destitute  of  those  ideas 
that  make  for  power  and  organizing  progress. 
How  unlike  our  x\ryan  forefathers.  They  were 
virile,  resourceful,  prolific.  They  outgrew  the 
boutularies  of  their  primitive  home.  They  pushed 
into  Western  Europe  and  the  British  isles.  Thu.s 
that  race  spread  itself.  It  founded  cities  and  buik 
commonwealths.  It  ordained  worship.  It  banded 
individuals  into  fraternities,  and  yet  left  to  the  in- 
dividual his  own  selfhood.  It  made  confederacies. 
It  caused  the  wilderness  to  blossom  and  deserts  to 
rejoice. 

Our  American  Indian  race  did  none  of  these 
things.  Deserts  remained  Sahara's  for  all  the  un- 
told   ages    of    their    barbaric    occupancy.      They 


.a 


mm 


'  'i 


il'ii 


I!'  «.' 


J6S 


MISSION  A  R  V  HISTOR  Y. 


lacked  the  revolt  of  genius  against  stupidity,  of 
ambition  against  the  gross  limitations  of  sensual- 
ism. No  stranger  ethnic  anomaly  ever  dropped 
into  the  flow  of  human  history.  We  note  the 
fact,  as,  in  one  aspect,  explaining  the  strange  out- 
come of  one  of  the  most  romantically  conceived 
and  vigorously  and  self-denyingly  prosecuted  mis- 
sionary movements  of  modern  times;  a  movement 
that  seemed  to  leave  the  people  for  whom  it  was 
designed  in  ruins,  but  left  a  splendid  residuum  of 
civilization  and  Christian  life  for  the  sturdier  race 
that  so  speedily  came  after  them. 


.u- 


<i  1 .  '  I  i 


T'WP"f"f  w ! 


XIX. 


J5 


MISSION    TRAGEDIES. 


WE  have  spoken  in  the  former  chapter  of  the 
appointment  of  Rev.  William  Roberts  as 
Superintendent  of  the  Oregfon  Mission  to  succeed 
Mr.  Gary,  and  of  his  assumption  of  that  office  on 
the  departure  of  the  latter  in  July,  1847. 

The  new  Superintendent  was  a  man  of  many  en- 
dowments and  special  qualifications  for  the  work 
to  which  he  had  been  assigned  by  the  church.  He 
was  born  in  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  in  181 2,  and 
his  early  life  was  spent  in  close  touch  with  those 
opportunities  for  improvement  that  would  natural- 
ly come  with  the  associations  of  metropolitan  life. 
He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Philadelphia  Con- 
ference in  1834,  and  stationed  in  St.  George's 
Church  in  Philadelphia,  associated  with  Henry 
White,  R.  Gerry  and  Thomas  McCarrol  in  a  city 
circuit.  His  appointments  from  that  time  onward 
to  1846  were  mostly  in  Philadelphia,  Newark  and 
Jersey  City,  in  New  Jersey.  In  these  places  he 
maintained  a  very  high  standard  of  pulpit  power, 
and  was  clearly  marked  for  future  eminence  in  his 
calling.     He  was  the  associate  and  friend  of  such 


p^p 


370 


MISS  I  ON  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


men  as  McClintock,  Floy,  Perry  and  Pittman. 
In  1846,  while  the  latter  was  secretary  of  the  Mis- 
sionary' Board,  Mr.  Roberts  was  selected  to  take 
charge  of  the  Oregon  Mission  as  superintendent. 
He  was  thirty-four  years  of  age;  a  very  Chester- 
field in  appearance  and  manners,  and  yet  as  affable 
and  approachable  to  the  lowly  as  to  the  exalted. 
In  the  pulpit  his  elocution  was  nearly  faultless, 
and  his  sermons  were  thoroughly  evangelical  and 
charmingly  eloquent.  He  was  energetic  in  execu- 
tion. Though  not  a  large  man,  and  yet  not  a 
small  one,  physically,  when  he  entered  upon  his 
work  here  his  figure  and  poise  drew  the  instant 
attention  of  the  passer  by,  and  introduced  him  to 
the  favorable  regards  of  the  people  at  once.  He 
had  need  of  all  his  attainments  and  abilities,  how- 
ever, for  he  was  following  x^<.e  and  Gary  and  he 
must  be  capable  and  strong  who  could  go  where 
and  as  they  had  set  the  pace  of  the  journey. 

The  circumstances  under  which  he  entered  on 
the  superintendency  were  of  the  most  favorable 
character.  He  had  himself  been  a  member  of  the 
Missionary  Board,  and  had  studied  the  missionary 
question  from  that  standpoint.  He  was  the  inti- 
mate personal  friend  of  Secretary  Pittman.  He 
had  known  Jason  Lee,  and  entertained  him  in  his 
own  home  in  Patterson,  New  Jersey,  in  1839.  and 


li  u 


ittman. 
he  Mis- 
to  take 
:endent. 
Chester - 
5  affable 
exalted, 
aultless. 
ical  and 
1  execu- 
t  not  a 
ipon  his 
instant 
1  him  to 
ice.     He 
es,  how- 
'  and  he 
o  where 


I     • 


tered  on 
[avorable 
er  of  the 
issionary 
the  inti- 
lan.  He 
im  in  his 
[839.  and 


iu 


iir 


I 


i       : 

I: 


11 


r :  ■■'■   ■ 


i 


i  ■■:!(.. S.5 


REV.   WILLIAM   ROHKHTS, 
SuperinteiuiHiil   of  Oregon    Mission. 


MISS /ON  TRAGEDIES. 


371 


was  present  as  a  member  of  the  Board  in  July, 
1844,  when  Mr.  Lee  gave  his  statement  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  mission  before  that  body  as  noted  in 
a  previous  chapter.  Therefore  if  he  could  not  take 
charge  of  the  affairs  of  the  mission  and  conduct 
them  successfully  no  one  should  be  expected  to  do 
so. 

Mr.  Roberts  sailed  from  New  York  around  Cape 
Horn,  November  27,  1846,  under  instructions  to 
stop  in  California  for  a  month  or  two,  and  explore 
that  country  in  view  of  the  establishment  of  mis- 
sions there.  He  was  accompanied  on  the  voyage 
by  Rev.  J.  H.  Wilbur,  who  had  also  been  appoint- 
ed a  missionary  to  Oregon  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  Mr.  Gary.  They  reached  San  Francisco 
on  the  24th  of  April,  1847,  and  remained  in  Cali- 
fornia six  weeks,  visiting  San  Jose.  Monterey,  and 
several  other  points,  and  organized  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  San  Francisco;  undoubtedly 
the  first  Methodist  Church  ever  organized  south 
of  the  Willamette  Valley  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  On 
the  29th  day  of  June,  1847,  Mr.  Roberts  arrived  in 
Oregon,  and  in  July  he  took  charge  of  the  Mission 
en  the  departure  of  Mr.  George  Gary  for  the  east. 

Within  a  month,  as  we  have  noted  in  the  pre- 
vious chapter,  after  Mr.  Roberts  entered  on  his 
work  he  was  at  The  Dalles  of  the  Columbia  adjust- 


'iPT'""" 


372 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  V. 


jf !  :  i :  I,'     11 


^1    . 


ing  the  affairs  of  the  mission  at  that  place.  Parties 
of  immi9-rants  were  arriving  from  the  east,  nearly 
all  of  V  >m  called  for  supplies,  as  they  had  ex- 
hausted their  stock  of  provisions  on  their  long 
journey.  On  Sabbath,  the  22d  day  of  August,  a 
party  of  ten  called  at  the  station  desiring  to  make 
some  purchases,  and  were  directed  by  Mr.  Brewer 
to  a  good  camping  place  a  mile  or  so  from  the 
house,  with  the  promise  that  what  they  needed 
should  be  furnished  them  in  the  morning.  On 
Sunday  night  they  admitted  some  lewd  Indian  wo- 
men to  their  camp,  who,  on  leaving,  stole  three 
sacks  of  clothing.  This  enraged  the  Americans, 
and  when,  on  Monday,  innocent  Indians — among 
whom  was  a  son  of  Equator,  the  chief  of  the  Wab- 
co  tribe,  visited  their  camp — they  took  a  rifle 
from  him,  and  from  others  three  horses.  These 
Indians  had  done  no  harm,  and  were  greatly  In- 
censed at  the  conduct  of  the  whites.  Equator,  be- 
ing immediately  informed  of  what  had  happened, 
declared  that  he  would  have  back  the  property  of 
his  son  and  his  people  at  all  hazards.  Mr.  Waller 
endeavored  to  persuade  him  to  trust  the  settle- 
ment of  the  matter  with  the  missionaries,  but  he 
was  determined  to  vindicate  his  own  rights  and 
the  rights  of  his  people.  With  fifteen  of  his  war- 
riors   he    surrounded    the    Americans,    who    had 


f  nv 


MISSION  TRAGEDIES. 


373 


moved  down  near  the  mission  house,  and  began 
taking  back  the  property  which  the  whites  had  ta- 
ken from  the  Indians.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Shepherd  drew  his  gun  and  shot  Equator  through 
the  heart.  Two  Indians  immediately  shot  Shep- 
herd. Two  more  white  men  and  one  Indian  were 
wounded.  Equator  leaned  on  Mr.  Waller's  breast 
and  died.  The  Indians  were  crazed  w:<"h  excite- 
ment. A  chief  had  been  slain.  A  white  chief's 
blood  must  pay  for  his.  The  white  men  fled  to  the 
mountains.  For  a  while  the  blood  of  Mr.  Walle* 
seemed  likely  to  be  the  price  the  Indians  would 
exact  for  that  of  Equator.  A  wounded  white  man 
was  concealed  in  the  house  of  the  missionaries. 
Mr.  Roberts,  who  had  been  a  witness  of  tjie  terrible 
scene,  at  the  earliest  opportunity  took  him  away 
privately  to  the  Willamette,  procured  the  services 
of  Mr.  George  Abernethy,  who  was  then  Governor 
of  Oregon,  and  returning  with  him  to  The  Dalles 
succeeded  in  allaying  the  excitement  by  a  liberal 
payment  of  goods  to  the  Indians.  Thus,  after 
much  difficulty  and  at  the  entire  expense  of  the 
mission,  the  danger  of  an  immediate  massacre 
that  would  have  involved  the  mission  and  gone 
far  beyond  it  was  averted  by  the  prompt  action  of 
Mr.  Roberts  in  his  capacity  of  Superintendent  of 
the  Mission.  '' 


i     ■  :i 


m^w^^ 


J74 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


ill 


Ijii 


The  entire  force  of  the  Methodist  Mission  was 
soon  concentrated  in  the  Willamette  Valley,  and 
its  members  were  steadily  engaged  in  the  several 
departments  of  work.  There  had  been  many  dis- 
quieting rumors  of  impending  Indian  troubles  east 
of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  especially  among  the 
Cayuses,  among  whom  the  Mission  of  Dr.  Whit- 
man was  located.  From  their  somewhat  violent 
and  intractable  disposition,  excited  by  several  un- 
fortunate circumstances  connected  with  that  mis- 
sion in  the  past,  many  of  the  calmest  and  most  ob- 
servant of  the  people  of  the  country  had  been  led 
to  believe  that  it  was  slumbering  on  a  volcano  that 
might  at  any  moment  break  forth  and  destroy  it. 
It  was  hoped  however  that  the  plans  of  Dr.  Whit- 
man to  remove  his  mission  to  The  Dalles  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring  might  avert  the  threatening  disaster. 
Suddenly,  however,  on  the  29th  day  of  November 
1847,  the  very  Indians  for  whom  that  noble  mis- 
sionary and  his  wife  had  lived  and  labored  for 
eleven  years,  broke  forth  in  murderous  fury  and 
smote  them  both  down  in  death,  and  annihilated 
in  a  moment  the  mission  they  had  planted  in 
Christian  love  and  sustained  with  unfaltering  and 
heroic  devotion  for  the  salvation  of  the  very  ones 
who  had  bcome  their  murderers.  The  story  ot 
this  most  terrible  incident  in  the  missionary  his- 


MISSION  TRAGEDIES. 


375 


tory  of  the  Northwest  belonj^s  to  another  chap- 
ter on  "The  Missions  of  the  American  Board" 
later  on.  and  is  referred  to  here  only  for  continu- 
ity of  narration  in  the  history  of  the  Methodist 
Missions;  as,  of  course,  they  were  profoundly  af- 
fected by  it. 
«  The  whole  country  east  and  west  of  the  moun 
tains  was  shocked.  The  great  interior  tribes  were 
reported  as  rising  for  a  war  of  extermination 
against  all  the  Americans.  Oregon  had  only  a 
"Provisional  (jovernment/  without  exchequer 
or  any  means  of  providing  one.  Though  it  was 
American  territory,  and  had  an  American  popula- 
tion now  numbering  perhaps  three  thousand,  with 
an  additional  white  population  of  nearly  half  as 
many  more  of  mixed  nationalities,  its  government 
was  simply  provisional  and  men  of  every  nation 
were  admitted  to  equal  franchise  under  it.  There 
was  no  sign  or  semblance  of  national  authority 
within  it  or  of  national  protection  over  it.  To  be 
sure  the  American  population  had  borne  the  spirit 
of  American  citizenship  across  the  great  deserts 
or  around  Cape  Horn,  but  the  government  itself 
had  given  them  but  the  slightest  aid.  It  had  left 
them,  apparently,  to  build  out  of  their  own  hearts 
and  lives  such  a  commonwealth  as  they  might. 
Most  of  them  were  young  adventurers,  seeking 


IB 


I      !»<■ 


! 


i. 


I    . 


37(> 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


such  open  doors  as  the  Pilgrims  found  in  New 
luigland,  or  the  western  pioneers  found  in  Ken- 
tucky and  Ohio,  through  which  they  might  step 
upon  a  career  that  would  give  them  honor  and 
place  and  riches  in  some  future  day  that  they 
thought  would  come  to  the  Pacific  coast.  They 
were  poor.  They  had  no  money  and  they  had 
cora€  to  a  country  where  wheat  in  .he  bin  and  or- 
ders on  stores  were  legal  tender.  A  mule  and  a 
rifle  were  their  only  personal  property,  and  the 
dust  of  two  thi  usand  miles  trailing  their  only  real 
estate.  Hardihood  of  body  and  a  certain  keen 
perception  and  self-poised  intelligence  that  the  ex- 
periences of  the  journey  had  imparted  to  them 
were  their  capital  for  the  upbuilding  of  a  free  com- 
monwealth that,  by  and  by,  they  would  ofifer  back 
to  the  Great  Republic  as  one  of  the  "bright  partic- 
ular stars"  that  would  grace  the  l>anner  of  Liberty. 
Resourceful  enough  to  win  their  way  to  this  land 
of  promise,  it  might  be  expected  that  they  would 
be  brave  and  patriotic  enough  to  defend  what  they 
had  so  hardly  won.  ■  - 

Immediately  after  the  massacre  of  Dr.  Whit- 
man and  the  destruction  of  his  mission  at  Waii- 
letpu  it  became  evident  that  an  Indian  war  was  in- 
evitable. To  permit  that  bloody  deed  to  go  un- 
avenged would  be  to  subject  the  whole  land  to  .1 


"-r 


Af/SS/ON  TRAGEDIES. 


377 


like  dreadful  fate.  The  Provisional  Legislature 
met  almost  immediately,  and  among  the  measures 
it  was  thought  necessary  to  adopt  in  the  distress- 
ing emerjj^ency  was  the  sending,  by  a  special  mes- 
senger, of  information  of  the  awful  event,  and  of 
the  defenceless  and  imperiled  condition  of  the 
country  to  the  government  at  VVashintgon.  The 
Provisional  government  had  no  resources.  There 
was  almost  literally  no  money  in  the  country. 
The  only  avenue  through  which  the  means  neces- 
sary could  be  secured  seemed  to  be  the  Methodist 
Mission.  It  was  one  of  those  trying  con- 
ditions that  come  to  men  and  communities 
when  great  things  are  to  be  done  with- 
out some  means  of  doing  them.  The  journey 
was  a  perilous  one  across  the  continent  in  the  win- 
ter on  horseback,  through  hostile  savages,  over 
snowy  mountams,  but  a  man  who  had  spent  twen- 
ty years  in  the  mountains  over  which  lay  the  trails 
that  must  be  traveled  was  ready  to  assay  the  dan- 
gerous undertaking  if  the  means  to  defray  the  nec- 
essary expenses  could  be  provided.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Provisional  Legislature;  a  Virgin- 
ian by  birth,  but  a  mountaineer  from  his  boyhood, 
with  Sublette  and  Bridges  and  Smith  and  others 
of  their  kith  in  the  far.  deep,  fastnc".ses  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  His  name  was  Joseph  L. 
Meek,  and  this  one  bold  and  manly  offering  of 


I  S\ 


til: 


(F  I  r 


mi 


378 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


himself  as  a  messenger  in  this  momentous  crisis  in 
Oregon  liistory  would,  if  he  had  clone  no  other 
acts  to  deserve  it.  place  his  name  among  the  honor- 
ed brave  of  the  Pacific  Northwest.  , 

There  is  a  strange  kinship  between  the  mission- 
ary and  the  mountaineer.  They  are  built  on  the 
same  original  model.  The  man  who  would  search 
the  longest  and  the  most  daringly  for  the  grizzly 
•  bear  in  his  den  or  the  lion  in  his  lair  as  a  mountain- 
eer, would  hunt  the  longest  for  the  lost  soul  of  the 
worst  sinner  as  a  missionary.  The  man  who  as  a 
missionary  will  penetrate  the  farthest  forests 
among  the  most  degraded  of  men  to  set  up  the 
banners  of  his  loved  Christ  and  bring  men  to  it,  as 
a  mountaineer  will  find  the  dimmest  trails  of  the 
wild  beasts  and  follow  them  to  their  wildest  lairs, 
or  climb  the  highest  and  stormiest  peaks  for  out- 
look, and  swim  tlie  coldest,  iciest  rivers  to  find 
the  ashes  of  his  camp-fire.  There  was  no  spot  the 
true  missionaries  of  the  Northwest  loved  better 
than  the  camp  of  the  mountaineer,  where  he  was 
always  welcome  to  the  softest  blanket  and  the 
juciest  roast,  unless  it  were  the  altar  of  his  own 
campmeeting.  where  he  could  welcome  the  broth- 
er of  his  heart  from  the  mountain  camp  not  only 
to  the  most  nutritious  viands,  but  to  that  Bread 
and  water  which  giveth  Life  to  the  world. 


MISSION  TRAGEDIES. 


379 


Finding  no  other  means  of  raising  the  amount 
rea':ired  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  proposed 
messenger,  application  was  made  to  Mr.  Roberts 
who,  as  Superintendent  of  the  Mission,  it  was 
thought,  might  have  the  abiUty  and  the  disposi- 
tion to  come  to  the  rescue  of  the  people  in  this 
emergency.  In  simple  and  plain  terms  Mr.  Rob- 
erts thus  refers  to  this  incident: — 

"During  the  winter  of  1847  'i^'^d  iv848  the  legis- 
lature was  called  together  to  devise  means  for  car- 
rying on  the  war.  Money  was  needed  to  send  a 
messenger  to  Washington.  The  Superintendent 
of  the  Methodist  Mission  was  applied  to  for  $1,500 
to  aid  in  the  emergency.  Jesse  Applegate  (noble 
man  that  he  was  and  is),  was  the  commissioner.  I 
furnished  the  funds.  These  were  trust  funds  and 
not  my  own  money,  and  there  was  no  security: 
none  whatever.  It  took  some  courage  to  handle 
the  money  then,  for  we  lived  by  faith  largely  in 
those  days." 

It  was  not  within  the  power  of  any  other  man 
or  men  in  the  country  at  that  time  to  meet  that 
great  emergency,  but  Mr.  Roberts  and  the  Metho- 
dist Mission.  Indeed,  since  the  mission  was  or 
ganized  in  1834  until  then  there  had  been  no  cen- 
ter around  which  an  American  community  could 
accrete,  and  no  financial  resources  that  could  have 
formed  and  held  the  fragmentary  and  moneyless 
emigrants  into  a  community  with  germs  of  solid 
aritv  within  it  but  the  Methodist  Mission. 


I  ' 


i\-m 


m 


I  ' 


?<i?o 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


The  story  of  the  Indian  war  that  began  with  the 
massacre  of  Dr.Whitman  does  not  enter  into  the 
scope  of  our  history.     Of  course  the  agitation  of 
the  country  in  conse([uence  of  it,  and  the  with^ 
drawal  of  several  hundred  vokniteers  from  the  set- 
tlements of  the  Willamette,  greatly  affected  all  the 
work  of  the  missionaries..     Yet  they  prosecuted  it 
as  best  they  could.     Their  presence  among  the 
people,  and  their  hearty  support  of  the  action  of 
the  Governor,  Mr.  George  Abernethy,  in  the  dire 
crisis  that  was  now  upon  the  Territory,  gave  cour- 
age and  hope  to  the  imperileil  families  who  were 
left  largely  without  means  of  defence  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  husbands  and  brothers  of  so  many 
households  on  the  far-away  lield  of  strife.     There 
was  an  appalling  sense  of  danger  pervading  es- 
pecially the  settlements  in  the  upper  portions  of 
the  Willamette  Valley,  which  were  open  to  the  in- 
cursions of  the  Indians  from  east  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains  over  the  numerous   passes  and  trails 
from   that  region   westward   through   the   moun- 
tains.    The  people  thus  exposed  needed  and  se- 
cured the  constant  and   intelligent   leadership  of 
such  men  as  Roberts  and  Wilbur,  of  Waller  and 
Leslie,  of  Parrish  and  Helm,  and  such  laymen  as. 
Abernethy  and  Brewer,  of  Holman  and  Willson,- 
and  manv  others,  who.  like  tluse.   were  able  to 


MISSION  TRAGEDIES. 


3^r 


ith  the 
ito  the 
tion  of 
t  with^ 
;he  set- 
.  all  the 
:iited  it 
ing  the 
:tion  of 
the  dire 
/e  cour- 
lo  were 
the  ab- 

0  many 
There 

ling  es- 
tions  of 
D  the  in- 
Cascade 
nd  trails 

1  moun- 
and  se- 

jrship  of 
[Uler  and 
lynien  as 
Willson, 
\  able  to 


lead  the  faith  of  the  endangered  to  confidence  and 
rest. 

This  condition  continued  through  all  the  year 
1848,  and  the  effects  of  it  went  much  further  for- 
ward in  the  history  of  the  church  on  the  coast.  It 
was  really  a  most  exigent  era  in  the  history  of 
Oregon  in  all  respects,  though  its  story  belongs 
to  the  general  rather  than  to  the  missionary  his- 
tory of  the  country. 


■h 


wm 


mi 


m\ 


XX. 


MISSION    CONFERENCE    ORGANIZED. 

• 

UP  to  the  General  Conference  of  1848,  Oregon 
had  been  considered  a  foreign  mission  and 
administered  as  such.  During  the  session  of  that 
body  in  May  of  that  year  in  Pittsburg.  Pennsyl- 
vania an  order  was  passed  authorizing  the  Board 
of  Bishops  to  organize,  during  the  quadrennium, 
an  "Oregon  and  California  Mission  Conference.'' 
Its  boundaries  were  supposed  to  include  all  the 
United  States  territory  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  extending  coastwise  from  the  southern 
line  of  British  America  southward  to  the  northern 
line  of  Mexico.  Geographically  it  included  all  of 
the  present  States  of  California,  Nevada,  Oregon, 
Washington,  Idaho,  and  a  large  part  of  Montana. 
Actually  it  only  included  a  few  settlements  in  the 
Willamette  Valley,  and  three  or  four  specified 
points  in  California. 

In  the  spring  of  1849  Bishop  Waugh,  to  whom 
the   Episcopal  supervision  of  the  work  had  been 
committed,  wrote  a  very  minute  letter  of  "Instruc- 
tions'" to  Rev.  William  Roberts,  the  Superinten 
dent  of  the  Mission  Conference,  directing  its  or- 


'V  S|i   !""B^i 


Oregon 
ion  and 

of  that 
^ennsyl- 
e  Board 
ennium, 
erence."' 

all  the 
'•  Moun- 
;outhern 
lorthern 
ed  all  of 
Oregon, 
lontana. 
ts  in  the 
specified 

:o  whom 
lad  been 
'Instruc- 
Derinten 
g  its  or- 


MISS/ON  CONFERENCE  ORGANIZED.  383 

ganization  under  the  rule  adopted  by  the  General 
Conference.  In  conformity  with  these  instructions 
as  many  of  those  who  were  entitled  to  a  place  on 
the  roll  of  the  conference  and  were  within  reach, 
gathered  in  the  chapel  of  the  Oregon  Institute  in 
Salem  ow  the  5th  day  of  September,  1849,  ^o*"  ^^s 
organization  in  due  and  proper  form.  When  the 
roll  of  the  Conference  was  made  up  it  was  found 
that  William  Roberts  of  the  New  Jersey  Confer- 
ence, David  Leslie  of  the  Providence  Conference, 
Alvan  F.  Waller  of  the  Genesse  Conference,  James 
H.  Wilbur  of  the  Black  River  Conference,  Isaac 
Owen  of  the  Indiana  Conference,  and  William 
Taylor  of  the  Baltimore  Conference,  constituted 
the  "Oregon  and  California  Mission  Conference;" 
two  in  California  and  four  in  Oregon.  Will  the 
reader  scan  that  Hst  again?  It  is  short;  six  names 
only.  Measured  by  numbers  it  is  one  of  the  small- 
est lists  that  ever  stood  for  an  organized  confer- 
ence in  Methodism.  Measured  by  character,  by 
ability,  by  power  to  accomplish,  it  is  one  of  the 
mightiest  lists  that  ever  stood  at  the  head  of 
church  or  empire  between  the  eastern  and  western 
seas.  Culinre,  eloquence,  solid  judgment,  perse- 
verance, bold  and  intense  evangelism,  true  states- 
manship were  as  fully  represented  in  the  character 
and  lives  of  these  six  men  as  in  the  lives  of  any 


\ 


WW 

t 

i 
1 

3S4 


MISSIONARY  HIS  TORY. 


other  six  men  whose  association  at  the  beginning 
of  an  era  of  which  they  were  the  type  in  the  his- 
tory' of  Methodism.  All  are  historic.  One,  at 
least,  became  the  widest  and  best  known  evangel- 
ist of  the  church  of  Christ  in  all  its  ages,  and  is 
lingering  yet,  just  fifty  years  since  the  date  of  this 
gathering,  so  insignificant  in  numbers,  yet  so  au- 
gust in  the  power  and  prophecy  of  their  personali- 
ties and  purposes,  under  the  golden  skies  of  that 
same  California  where  his  tall  manhood  began  its 
resplendent  career.  One  dislikes  to  turn  away 
from  the  transfiguring  retrospect,  for  it  so  warms 
the  heart  to  count  one's,  self  in  the  genealogy  of 
such  a  magnificent  fatherhood. 

This  was  the  list  of  membership.  But  Owen 
and  Taylor  were  not  present,  as  their  work  was  in 
California,  nearly  a  thousand  miles  distant  from 
the  seat  of  the  conference. 

On  the  organization  of  the  Conference  with 
William  Roberts  in  the  chair,  James  H.  Wilbur 
was  elected  secretary.  William  Helm,  a  located 
elder  from  the  Kentucky  Conference,  was  read- 
mitted. J.  L.  Parrish,  who  had  been  received  on 
trial  in  the  Genesse  Conference  in  1848,  was  recog- 
nized as  a  probationer  in  the  Conference,  and  J.  E. 
Parrott,  John  McKinney  and  James  O.  Rayno-: 
were  admitted  on  trial. 


MISSION  CONFERENCE  ORGAN/ZED.  38s. 


The  statistics  reported  to  the  conference  were 
as  follows:  Oregon  City,  30  members  and  6  pro- 
bationers; Salem  circuit,  109  members  and  25  pro- 
bationers; Clatsop,  8  members  and  i  probationer; 
an  aggregate  of  348  members  and  6  probationers. 
Fourteen  local  preachers  were  reported,  and  a 
missionary  collection  of  $141  had  been  taken. 
There  were  3  churches;  one  at  Oregon  City,  one 
at  Salem,  and  one  on  Yamhill  circuit.  There  were 
9  Sabbath  schools,  with  261  scholars.  These  con- 
stituted the  totals  of  Methodist  Episcopal  statis- 
tics on  the  Pacific  Coast  on  the  5th  day  of  Sep- 
tember. 1849.  ^c>  reports  were  made  from  Cali- 
fornia. Three  subjects  of  interest  as  furnishing  a 
clue  to  the  thought  of  the  body  in  regard  to  the 
future  of  the  work  of  the  church  on  the  coast  were 
acted  upon,  namely,  a  movement  towards  the  self- 
support  of  the  church;  the  organization  of  a  Mis- 
sionary Society,  and  the  adoption  of  the  "Oregon 
Institute"  as  the  educational  institution  of  the 
body.  Thus  these  men  of  large  purposes  and  clear 
and  far  outlook  began  at  this  very  first  session  of 
the  Mission  Conference  to  outline  work  for  the 
ages.  The  body  remained  in  session  three  days, 
and  on  the  8th  of  September  adjourned  with  the 
announcement  of  the  appointments  by  Superin- 
tendent Roberts: 


j86 


MISSION  A  R ) '  HIS  TOR  V. 


'A.  ^^ 


il.:' 


Oregon  and  California  Mission  Conference: 
William  Roberts,  Superintendent. 

Oreg-on  City  and  Portland:  J.  H.  Wilbur.  J.  L. 
Parrish. 

Salem  Circuit:  Wm.  Helm,  J.  O.  Raynor,  Davifl 
Leslie,  supernumerary. 

Yamhill:   John  Mc Kinney,  C.  O.  Hosford,  sup 
ply. 

Marys  River:  A.  F.  Waller,  J.  E.  Parrott. 

>  ■ 

Astoria  and  Clatsop:  To  be  supplied. 
CALIFORNIA. 

San  Francisco:   William  Taylor. 

Sacramento  and  CuUoma  Mills  and  Stockton: 
Isaac  Owen,  one  to  be  supplied. 

Pueblo,  San  Jose  and  Santa  Cruz:  To  be  sup- 
plied. 

It  had  now  been  l)ut  fourteen  years  since  Mr. 
Lee  had  established  his  mission  among  the  Indians 
of  the  Willamette.  The  church  at  home  expected 
that  this  would  remain  an  Indian  mission  indefi- 
nitely. It  did  not  enter  into  their  thought  that 
in  so  brief  a  time  missionary  work  among  the  In- 
dians here  would  cease,  and  the  entire  force  of  the 
church  would  be  directed  towards  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Christian  state  where  only  Indians  had 
lived  before.  They  could  not  have  believed,  for 
history  had  never  seen  it  done,  that  a  nation,  af 


MISSION  CONFERENCE  ORGANIZED.  387 


erence : 
r.  J.  L. 
,  David 
rd,  sup 


tockton  •. 
be  sup- 

ince  Mr. 
I  Indians 
expected 
in  indefi- 
ght  that 
the  In- 
•ce  of  the 
estabUsh- 
dians  had 
ieved,  for 
lation,  af 


one  stride,  would  step  over  two  thousand  miles  of 
pathless  wilderness  and  establish  itself  on  the 
thither  side  of  the  globe.  And  it  could  not  have 
been  done  had  not  the  church  herself  been  greater 
than  she  knew.  The  results  of  her  work  had  been 
far  beyond  the  measure  of  her  purpose  when  shi 
sent  forth  Lee  in  1834.  When  in  1849  the  twelve 
men  named  above  went  forth  at  the  behest  of  the 
church  to  inaugurate  the  new  order  they  were  but 
following  the  legitimate  and  logical  ways  of  God's 
providence  in  His  great  work  of  the  world's  re- 
demption. 

The  work  of  the  conference  year  thus  entered 
upon  was  marked  by  no  incidents  requiring  special 
statement.  The  Indian  war  that  began  with  the 
massacre  of  Dr.  Whitman  and  the  destruction  of 
his  mission,  known  as  the  Cayuse  war,  had  closed, 
and  the  volunteers  had  returned  to  their  homes 
in  the  Willamette  Valley.  It  was  hoped  that  a 
quietude  more  favorable  to  Christian  work  would 
succeed  the  public  excitement  attendant  on  the 
prosecution  of  the  war.  But  this  hope  was  sooti 
dissipated.  Scarcely  had  the  war  ceased  when  it 
became  known  in  Oregon  that  gold  had  been  dis- 
covered in  California,  and  stories  of  the  fabulous 
wealth  of  the  mines  stirred  the  people  to  an  ex- 
citement far  beyond  any  that  attended  the  pro- 


i!f 


im 


I     •■{ 

Mr 

!  'i  ^ 

i 

m 

l! 


J<?<S' 


MrSSIONAR  Y  HIS  TO  K ) ' 


gress  of  the  war.  Everything  else  was  forgotten. 
Harvests  were  left  unreaped  and  fallow?  unseeded. 
Flocks  and  herds  were  permitted  to  wander  at 
will.  The  Willamette  Valley  was  almost  deserted 
by  the  men.  People  and  pastors  sometimes  left 
together  for  the  fields  of  gold.  It  was  a  vast 
hegira.  The  men  of  the  north  poured  themselves 
in  a  living  torrent  into  the  bosom  of  the  south. 
There  was  the  land  of  promise,  and  there  was  ris- 
ing the  golden  age. 

Under  such  conditions  there  could  be  little  pro- 
gress in  the  work  of  the  church,  however  faithful 
pastors  and  people  might  be.    So  when  the  "Ore- 
gon and  California  Mission  Conference"   met  in 
Oregon  City  the  4th  day  of  September,  1850,  there 
was  reported  an  increase  of  only  47  members  and  20 
probationers  as  the  numerical  results  of  the  work 
of  the  whole  conference  for  a  year  in  Oregon.  Cal- 
ifornia, from  which  no  report  had  been  made  the 
preceding  year,  now  reported  350  members.     Mr. 
Owen  and  Mr.  Taylor  were  again  absent,  but  made 
report  of  their  work  by  letter.     At  the  calling  of 
the  roll  only  William  Roberts,  David  LesUe,  A.  F. 
Waller,  J.  H.  Wilbur  and  William  Helm  were  pres- 
ent.    Indeed  these  were  all  the  members  of  the 
conference  in  Oregon,  Owen  and  Taylor  being  as 
before  in  California.     But  it  immediately  appeared 


MISSION  CONFERENCE  ORGANIZED.  jSg 


irgotten. 
iiseeded. 
ander  at 
deserted 
imes  left 
s  a  vast 
lemselves 
le  south. 
t  was  ris- 

little  pro- 
er  faithful 
the  "Ore- 
;"  met  in 
850,  there 
ers  and  20 

the  work 
i^gon.  Cal- 

made  the 
bers.  Mr. 
,  but  made 
;  calling  of 
eslie,  A.  F. 

were  pres- 
3ers  of  the 
or  being  as 
ly  appeared 


that  a  great  enlargement  of  the  work  was  to  be 
initiated  at  this  session  of  the  body.  Superinten- 
dent Roberts  announced  that  Francis  S.  Hoyt,  of 
the  New  Jersey  Conference,  had  been  appointed  to 
take  charge  of  the  Oregon  Institute,  and  Edward 
Bannister,  of  the  Oneida  Conference,  had  also 
been  assigned  to  the  charge  of  an  educational  in- 
stitution to  l)e  established  in  California.  Samuel 
D.  Simonds  had  also  been  sent  forawrd  for  the 
general  work  in  California,  and  Nehemiah  Doane, 
who  had  been  received  on  trial  in  the  (ienesse  Con- 
ference in  1849,  '^"^^l  ordained  deacon  and  elder  un- 
der the  missionary  rule,  was  then  en  route  to  take 
charge  of  the  Oregon  Institute  until  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Hoyt.  In  addition  to  these  accessions  I.  Mc- 
Elroy,  of  the  Southeast  Indiana  Conference,  and 
James  Corwin  of  the  Indiana  Conference,  located 
elders,  were  readmitted.  Matthew  Lasciter  was 
admitted  on  trial.  At  the  close  of  the  Conference 
session  the  Superintendent  announced  the  follow- 
ing appointments: 

Oregon  District — William  Roberts,  P.  E. 

Oregon  City  and  the  Columbia  River — James 
H.  Wilbur  and  J.  O.  Ray  nor. 

Salem — A.  F.  Waller,  David  Leslie,  sup. ;    Waller 
•to  visit  the  Indians  at  The  Dalles. 
I     Mary's  River — W^illiam  Helm. 


\' 


Pi  nW "' 


J9" 


MISSION  A  A*  y  HIS  TOR  V. 


mX  h 


*| 


Yamhill — I.  McElroy. 

Utnp(|ua — To  be  supplietl. 

Astoria  and  Clatsop — C.  (.).  llosford. 

Oregon  Institute — F.  S.  Hoyt  and  Nehemiaii 
Doane. 

California  District — I.  Owen,  P.  E. 

San  Francisco  and  Happy  Valley — William 
Taylor. 

Stockton — J.  Corwin. 

Stockton  Circuit — To  be  supplied. 

San  Jose — To  be  supplied.  ' 

Sacramento — S.  D.  Simonds. 

El  Dorado — M.  Lasciter. 

Edward  Bannister.  Literary  Institution. 

With  this  increased  ministerial  force  the  work 
of  the  church  was  pressed  forward  with  more  vig- 
or. Still  the  draft  upon  the  population  of  Oregon 
made  by  the  discovery  of  the  mines  of  California 
had  not  been  returned,  and  nearly  all  the  emigration 
over  the  plains  had  been  diverted  to  that  country, 
so  that  no  great  advancement  in  church  work  or 
in  the  country  itself,  could  be  expected.  There 
was  nothing  to  do  but  wait;  that  most  difficult 
thing  that  ever  comes  to  active  and  resolute  men 
to  do.  Thus  waiting  the  time  came  for  the  third 
session  of  the  Mission  Conference.  It  was  held 
in  the  Oregon  Institute,  conmiencing  on  the  3d 


MISSION  CONFERENCE  OR(rAM/.El\  ?9/ 


day  of  September,  1851.  William  Roberts.  Super- 
intendent. Several  important  accessions  to  the 
list  of  preachers  had  been  made  during  the  year. 
John  Flinn  had  come  from  the  Maine  Conference. 
C.  S.  Kingsley  from  the  Michigan  Conference, 
with  Luther  T.  Woodward  and  John  \V.  Miller, 
probationers,  from  Indiana,  for  the  work  in  Ore- 
gon; with  D.  A.  Dryden,  A.  L.  S.  Bateman  and 
M.  C.  Briggs  for  the  work  in  California. 

New  educational  enterprises  had  this  year  been 
inaugurated  in  both  Oregon  and  California;  in 
Oregon  at  Portland,  and  in  California  at  Sacra 
tuento,  with  N.  Doane  at  the  head  of  the  first,  and 
E.  Bannister  of  the  second.  The  reports  of  mem- 
bership at  this  conference  showed  a  very  marked 
increase  during  the  year.  In  Oregon  there  were 
475  members  and  170  probationers;  in  California 
534  members  and  198  probationers;  an  addition 
of  nearly  one  hundred  per  cent,  to  the  reports  of 
the  preceding  year.  This  showed  that  the  causes 
that  had  retarded  the  work  in  Oregon  for  the  two 
preceding  years  were  passing  away,  and  with  their 
passing  she  was  putting  on  new  strength  for  wider 
and  more  successful  enterprise. 

The  General  Conference  met  in  Boston  in  May. 
1852.  Among  its  acts  was  one  authorizing  the 
Bishops  to  organize  two  annual  conferences  on  the 


r" 


•i. 


I  v% 


392 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


Pacific  Coast,  one  to  be  called  the  Oregon  antl 
the  other  the  California  Conference.  It  was  ex- 
pected that  a  Bishop  would  visit  the  country  in 
the  autumn  of  1852  for  that  purpose,  but,  as  no  in- 
telligence that  such  would  be  the  case  reached  the 
Superintendent,  the  Mission  Conference  assem- 
bled for  its  fourth  .  ession  in  Portland  on  the  2d 
day  of  September,  1852.  This  was  the  last  session 
of  the  "Oregon  and  California  Mission  Confer- 
ence." It  had  been  from  its  organization  under 
the  superintendency  of  William  Roberts.  His  su- 
perintendency  was  of  a  very  laborious  and  respon 
sible  character.  His  journeys  were  long  and  dan- 
gerous. Yet  he  never  faltered  in  his  work.  Dur- 
ing the  four  years  of  his  superintendency  he  visit'^d 
California  each  year,  held  an  annual  meeting  of  the 
preachers  there,  traveled  very  widely,  and  was  en- 
tirely responsilile  for  the  appointments  there  as 
well  as  in  Oregon. 

Before  the  session  of  the  Conference  at  Port- 
land three  more  men  were  added  to  the  list  of  its 
membership,  namely,  Thomas  H.  Pearne,  I.  Dil- 
lon and  P.  G.  Buchanan.  Two  of  them  were 
destined  to  great  eminence  in  the  history  of  Meth- 
odism on  the  northwest  coast.  Mr.  Buchanan 
early  removed  to  California  and  so  severed  his  con- 
nection with  the  wotk  in  Oregon.     As  it  was  con- 


MISSION  CONFERENCE  ORGANIZED,  jc^j 


fidently  expected  that  this  would  be  the  last  ses- 
sion of  the  Mission  Conference,  the  body  did  not 
enter  upon  much  business,  but  awaited  the  arri- 
val of  a  Bishop,  which  event  was  to  date  another 
epoch  in  Methodist  history  in  the  Northwest — in- 
deed in  the  entire  United  States. 


MSr  '^^ 

nffff* 

f 

t 

-■i-i 

'     ■■ 

'ii 

,  1*. 

Wi 

If 

:    'Jl 

H 

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if 

I 

■■ 

\ 

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ti,, 

1 

1 

\                 ■ 

■1 

[  ;: 

:| 

1 

XXI. 

OREG<  ci  ANNUAL  CONFERENCE. 

NO'!'  lonj^:  after  the  adjournment  of  the  "Mis- 
sion Conference"  noted  in  the  last  chapter, 
it  was  announced  in  the  country  tliat  Bishop  Ed- 
ward R.  Ames,  who  had  been  elected  and  ordain 
ed  Bishop  at  the  General  Conference  held  in  Bea- 
ton, the  preceeding  May,  would  reach  the  coa.^1 
early  in  the  year,  and  wouUi  (organize  the  Oregon 
Annual  Conference  accor  i"..,^  to  the  direction  of 
the  General  Conference  en  He  i/th  day  of  March, 

i853- 

Bishop  Ames  wa^  in  ever;,  ...ly  adapted  to  im- 
press the  people  of  the  Northwest  coast.  He  had 
a  most  imposing  personality.  In  size  and  mein 
he  greatly  resembled  l^ishop  Hedding;  the  first 
Methodist  Bishop  the. writer  ever  beheld.  More 
than  six  feet  in  hei  ;-hL.  large  in  frame,  straight 
and  majestic  in  beariiu.  -.iovii^g  with  a  deliberate 
step,  large  and  thoroughly  composed  features 
jcnriewliat  darker  than  those  of  Hedding,  he  seem- 
ed the  very  embodiment  of  physical  and  intellect- 
ual power.  His  life  had  been  spent  in  the  west, 
and  hundreds  of  people  in  Oregon  had  heard  him 


i'5!i|iri'|iiii'  "I! 


ic  "Mis- 
chapter, 
hop  Ed- 
1  ordain 
I  in  Bos- 
he  coasl 
;  Oregon 
ection  of 
jf  March, 

;d  to  im- 
He  had 
and  mein 
the  first 
Id.     More 
.  straight 
deliberate 
[    features 
,  he  seem  • 
I  intellect- 
the  west, 
heard  him 


'iiili 


M 


J  ■, 


Ki;v.   T.    F.    UOVAL 


OREGON  ANNUAL  CONFERENCE.    395 


w^m^mmf^m 


t*  '     J 


'..] 


'    -J 


preach  in  Indiana,  and  elsewhere  in  his  extensive 
missionary  journeys  through  the  extreme  western 
states  and  the  Indian  territory.  He  was  known 
not  only  as  a  remarkably  able  preacher,  but  as  an 
administrator  and  executor  of  vast  intelligence  and 
force.  On  his  arrival  he  received  not  only  the  cor- 
dial welcome  of  the  church  and  the  conference, 
but  his  coming  was  considered  a  signal  historic 
event,  marking  the  great  progress  of  the  coast 
from  the  condition  of  absolute  barbarism  in  which 
Jason  Lee  found  it  only  eighteen  years  before,  to- 
wards one  of  high  Christian  civilization.  This  \\ 
really  did.  And,  when  one  considers  the  distance 
of  the  country  from  all  centers  of  population,  and 
the  unexampled  toil  and  deprivation  that  •  at- 
tended a  journey  to  it  from  the  Eastern  States. 
it  must  be  i)ronounced  the  most  wonderful  civil 
and  religious  transformation  that  the  world  has 
ever  seen  in  the  same  period  of  time.  Ames  was  a 
man  to  appreciate  such  a  heroic  history.  Capable 
of  great  things  himself  and  loving  to  do  them,  he 
admired  great  daring  and  great  doing  in  others. 
When,  therefore,  the  conference  which  stood  for 
a  great  history  already  wrought,  and  a  greater 
still  to  be  wrought,  assembled  at  Salem  on  the 
17th  day  of  March  185^,,  it  was  superbly  fitting 
that  this  great  mountainous  Bishop  should  be  the 


..    ' 


39^ 


MISSION  A  R ) '  HIS  TOR  Y. 


i\ 


first  to  take  the  chair  of  an  Annual  Conference  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  whose  vast  mountains  and  riv- 
ers and  plains  were  so  in  harmony  with  his  own 
vast  life  and  thouj^jht. 

As  we  are  setting-  a  stone  of  witness  here  we 
must  cut  the  names  of  those  who,  with  Bishop 
Ames  at  their  head,  composed  the  Royal  Brother- 
hood who  led  the  splendid  story  of  the  third  great 
epoch  of  Methodist  history  on  the  coast.  Those 
who  answered  to  their  names  when  the  roll  was 
called  at  the  opening  of  the  session  were:  William 
Roberts,  David  Leslie,  Alvan  F.  Waller,  James  H. 
Wilbur,  \\'il]iam  Helm,  John  Flinn,  Francis 
S.  Hoyt,  Nehemiah  Doane,  Calvin  S.  Kingsle\-, 
Thomas  H.  Pearne,  Isaac  Dillon,  P.  G.  Buchanan, 
and  Luther  T.  Woodward.  Inmiediately  after  the 
organization  of  the  conference  the  following 
names  were  added  to  the  list  by  transfer:  Harvey 
K.  Hines,  Gustavus  Hines,  Thomas  F.,  Royal 
Benjamin  Close  and  George  M.  Berry.  Besides 
these  there  were  on  probation  in  the  conference: 
John  W.  Miller,  Chauncey  O.  Hosford,  Joseph  S. 
Smith,  William  B.  Morse,  J.  L.  Parrish  and  James 
C).  Raynor.  These  men  constituted  the  personnel 
of  the  Oregon  Annual  Conference  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcr'pal  Church  at  the  close  of  its  first  ses- 
sion. 


OREiiON  A^^MUAL  CONFEkEN'CE.    3(^7 


;nce  on 
nd  riv- 
lis  own 

lere  ^ve 
Bishop 
3rother- 
rd  great 
Those 
roll  was 
William 
ames  H. 
Francis 
Cingsley, 
uchanan. 
after  the 
'ollowing 
Harvey 
,  Royal 
Besides 
inference: 
Joseph  S. 
nd  James 
personnel 
.e  Metho- 
first  ses- 


The  church  memhership  within  the  conference 
consisted  of  558  in  full  connection,  and  214  per- 
sons on  probation,  and  besides  these  there  were  35 
local  preachers:    a  total  of  807. 

The  session  of  the  conference  was  harmonious. 
A  sense  of  the  vast  responsibility  of  its  prsition 
rested  upon  it.  These  were  the  men  to  cor-ipre- 
liend  responsibility  and  at  the  same  time  not  to  be 
overwhelmed  by  it.  There  was  a  great  intellec- 
tual  and  civil  awakening  on  the  coast,  and  several 
o{  the  strongest  men  of  the  conference  had  been 
borne  in  upon  it  from  important  fields  in  the  East 
to  this  newer,  but  more  important  field  in  the 
West.  There  was  not  an  old  man  among  them. 
Leslie  was  the  patriarch,  and  he  appeared  so  more 
from  the  trials  and  afflictions  that  had  premature- 
ly bent  his  shoulders  and  whitened  his  head,  than 
from  the  weight  of  years.  Besides  him  none  had 
much  more  than  passed  the  line  of  two  score 
years  and  most  were  near  a  decade  below  it. 
With  Bishop  Ames  as  the  "leader  and  comman- 
der"of  this  vigorous  and  brave  body  of  men  they 
ought  certainly  to  have  been  equal  to  any  emer- 
gency that  men  could  meet.    And  they  were  able. 

At  the  close  of  the  session,  after  an  address  to 
the  body  of  great  intellectual  and  spiritual  force, 
coupled  with  a  far-seeing  ecclesiastical  statesman- 


**?. 


-:^\ 


m 


J9^ 


MISSION  A  R  ) '  HIS  TOR ) '. 


ship,  the  Bishop  announced  the  following  appoint- 
ments. 

Willamette  District — 'J'homas  H.   Pearne,   Pre- 
siding Elder. 

Portland  and  Portland  Academy — H.  K.  Hines, 
C.  S.  Kingsley. 

Salem — William  Roberts,  John  Flitm. 

Oregon  City — P.  G.  Buchanan. 

Chehalim  and  Tualatin — J.  W.  Miller. 

Yamhill — N.  Doane. 

Callapooia — A.  F.  Waller,  Isaac  Dillon. 

Mary's  River — L.  T.  Woodward,  C.  O.  Hosford. 

Spencer's  Butte — T.  F.  Royal. 

Columbia  River — G.  M.  Berry. 

Vancouver,     Cascades     and     Dalles — Gustavus 
irlines. 

McKenzies  Fork — E.  Garrison. 

Oregon  Institute — F.  S.  Hoyt,  President. 

Umqua    Mission — J.    H.    Wilbur,    Supt.;   J.    O. 
Raynor. 

Rogue  River — J.  S.  Smith. 

Puget  Sound  Mission — B.  Close.  Supt.;  W.  B. 
Morse. 

More  than  forty-six  years  have  passed  since  these 
appointments  were  made.  Of  the  twenty-two 
men  whose  names  were  announced  at  that  time 


appoint - 
rne.  Pre- 
K.  Hines, 


M' 


311. 

).  Hosford. 


-Giistavus 


dent, 
upt.;  J.   O. 


upt.;  W.  B. 

lI  since  these 

twenty-two 

at  that  time 


^■\f 


^^mmyr-wm 


OREGON  ANNUAL  CONFERENCE.    399 

five  withdrew  from  the  itinerant  ministry  subse- 
quently, one,  J.  S.  Smith  became  a  leading  lawyer 
and  an  able  statesman,  and  subsequently  represen- 
ted the  State  of  Oregon  in  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States.  One,  J.  O.  Kaynor,  became  a 
chaplain  in  the  army  of  the  United  States.  The 
other  three  became  local  preachers,  one  of  whom, 
C.  O.  Hosford  "remains  until  this  dav"  while  E. 
(larrison  and  C.  S.  Kingsley  have  passed  on  to 
their  reward.  Six.  namely,  John  Flinn,  Isaac  Dil- 
lon, N.  Doane.  T.  F.  Royal,  J.  W.  Miller  and  H.  K. 
Hines  have  remained  steadily  and  widely  connect- 
ed with  the  work  to  which  they  devoted  their 
youth  on  the  Northwest  coast.  T.  H.  Pearne  and 
F.  S.  Hoyt,  honored  and  revered,  have  for  many 
years  been  leading  spirits  in  the  Methodism  of 
Ohio.  The  only  remaining  one,  P.  G.  Buchanan, 
was  early  tn  ::  fvrred  to  the  California  conference, 
and  we  believe  is  yet  identified  with  the  work  in 
that  state. 

Now  Methodism  on  this  coast  has  passed 
through  three  stages  in  its  developement:  First, 
its  purely  misionary  stage  reaching  from  1834  to 
1848.  Second,  its  semi-missionary  form,  when  it 
had  developed  into  a  "Mission  Conference"  with 
all  the  rights  and  methods  of  an  Annual  Confer- 
ence except  that  of  representation  in  the  General 


\    1 


\%'-     i 


:,  H 


!»l 


t ;» 


I  f 


^oo 


A//SS/OA\IA' ) '  ///S  TOM ) '. 


Conference  extending^  from  1849  to  1853.  Third, 
it  iiad  reached  the  fnll  autonomy  of  conference 
riii^hts  and  privileges,  and  had  taken  its  place  in 
the  records  and  constitution  of  the  Church  as  an 
c(pial  of  the  other  Annual  Conferences  in  digni- 
ties and  rights  and  privileges.  , 

The  close  of  th  -st  session  of  the  "Oregon  An- 
nual Conference,  ..idrch  22,  1853.  may  properly 
he  considered  as  closing  the  distinctively  mission- 
ary history  of  Methodism  in  the  Northwest.  All 
the  Indian  work;  that  in  which  originated  the  mis- 
sionary impulse  which  led  the  Church  to  send  Mr. 
Lee  and  his  co-lahorers  and  their  successors  into 
the  vast  regions,  and  among  the  great  Indian 
tribes  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountaitis,  had  been 
given  up.  Only  nineteen  years  had  passed  since' 
that  work  was  established.  No  more  faithful  and 
no  more  able  missionaries  ever  wrought  among 
any  people  than  those  who  wrought  among  the  In- 
dian tribes  of  Oregon.  They  did  their  best  10 
.save  the  melancholy  reninants  oi  that  fated  race, 
but  Providence  and  destiny  were  stronger  than 
they.  It  can  not  be  profane  to  believe  that  God 
had  larger  and  better  uses  for  the  wonderful  land 
that  these  tribes  had  cumbered  so  long.  Its  posi- 
tion on  the  map  of  the  world  predetermined 
its  vast  relations   to  the  purpose  of  God  in   the 


ORI':(;ON  ANN  (ML  C0NF/':RKNCE.    4ni 


history  that  was  so  soon  to  he  wrought  out  on  the 
American  continent.  As  tlie  Indian  trihes  were 
incompettMit  for  the  intellectual  and  moral  work 
that  must  needs  be  done  on  that  shore  to  (it  it  for 
the  part  it  was  necessary  it  should  take  in  the 
world's  evang-eli7.ation,  nothing  could  follow  but 
llK'ir  annihilation.  This  is  God's  historic  order 
in  leadin*;'  the  march  of  the  a.^^es  upward  towards 
himself.  The  present  forever  owes  a  vast  debt  to 
the  future,  and  the  people  who  will  not  pay  that 
debt  must  perish  and  a  i)eople  who  will  must  take 
their  ])lace.  It  is  because  the  old  ao^es  did  not  at 
tempt  to  li(piidate  to  the  aj^es  to  come  the 
debt  they  owed  that  what  remains  of  them,  burned 
into  cinders  and  trampled  into  ashes,  are  being 
crushed  and  blown  away  by  the  whirlwind  march 
of  the  newer  time  and  better  humanity.  China 
has  stood  for  4000  years,.  There  have  lived  in 
that  empire  during  its  history  five  trillions  of 
people.  What  have  they  done  for  the  upbuilding 
of  mankind,  for  the  betterment  of  humanity? 
What  a  resplendent  chance  God  gave  them.  He 
set  them  \\\^  in  the  world's  sunrise.  He 
gave  them  all  time  in  which  to  stretch  themselves 
to  the  altitude  and  measurement  of  their  oppor- 
tunity. Recklessly  lli^^y  threw  it  into  the  abyss 
of  a  bestial,  degraded,  unimproving  life.    Their  de- 


vpp^hm 


ilil 


iii^ 


U\^' 


4.0J 


MISS  ION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  \  \ 


fault  to  the  future  blots  them  out  of  that  future 
of  which  they  might  have  been  the  master.    Those 
only,  of  nations  or  men,  master  the  future  who  pay 
that  future  the  debt  they  owe  it.     "The  mills  of 
the   floods   orind   slow,   l)ut    they   grind   exceeding- 
tine."     'fhe  belts   that  drive  the  grinding-stones 
stretch  out  of  sight,  but  beyond  our  vision  they 
are  attached  to  the  great  motor  of  eternal  right, 
and  eternal  law.  and  eternal  power,  and  the  'mills  ' 
are  surely  ''grindi*'f  them   to  powder."     If  the 
'cycles  of  Cathay"  could  only  produce  the  form>; 
and  conditions  of  life  that  Ciiina  has  givi:n  to  the 
world,  such  cycles  must  cease  to  roll.     If  the  ages 
of  Africa  could  alone  only  make  the  Hottentot  or 
the    Bushman,   of  what   use  is   their  continuance? 
So   on   the    Northwest    Coast.      The   course    and 
growths  of  a  history  whose  beginnings  cannot  be 
discovered  had  ended  only  in  the  production  of  the 
<legraded  tribes  among  whom  the  most  consecrat- 
ed and  ablest  missionary  apostleship  the  Church 
of  el^rist  had  sent  out  for  centuries  mad."  almost 
superhuman  efforts  to  plant  the  seed  of  the  "eter- 
iial  life."     As  a  people  they  gave  no  fruitful  re- 
sponse. 

For  this  reason  the  Indian  missions  disappeared 
from  the  nia|)  of  the  conference  only  nineteen  years 
after  they  were  planted.     But  the  very  effort  to 


;u! :"  almost 
:  the  "eter- 
fruilfiil  re- 


ORFAiON  ANMUAL  CONFERENCE,     ioj 

save  them,  which  seemed  so  signally  to  have  failed, 
had  put  and  left  within  the  land  whence  they  were 
departing  "a  seed  of  righteousness"  for  all  coming- 
time,  the  plan'  1^  of  the  Lord  that  he  might  be 
glorified. 


i      \ 


'I     w 
i     I' 


I 


:, 


I 


I 

I 

:                                                                        ■-■.,■.•;■■■ 

■'■1    1 

■                   1* 

I 

1                                                             XXII. 

w\ 

j                                                   REVIEW  OF  THE   FIELD. 

1                              "The  field  is  the  world;  the  good  seed  are  the  children  of 

1                       the  kingdom.— JESUS. 

WHEN  the  first  session  of  the  Oregon  Annual 
Conference  adjourned  it  had  mapped  out 
an  imperial  field  for  occupancy  and  cultivation. 
Constructively  the  boundaries  of  the  Conference 
included  all  of  the  Territory  of  Oregon,  which 
then  meant  all  the  country  now  constituting  the 
States  of  Oregon,  Washington  and  Idaho,  and  all 
of  Montana  lying  west  of  the  summit  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  Actually  the  work  was  included  in 
the  Willamette  Valley,  to  which,  up  to  that  time, 
nearly  all  of  the  settlements  were  confined.  A  few 
hundreds  of  people  had  entered  the  wilderness  re- 
gion north  of  the  Columbia  River,  and  penetrated 
it  to  and  along  the  borders  of  Puget  Sound.  The 
same  was  true  of  Southern  Oregon.  The  peonle 
who  had  entered  these  regions,  like  those  who  had 
possessed  the  Willamette  Valley,  were  not  adven- 
turers— they  were  Pioneers.  The  difference  is  al- 
most infinite.  The  adventurer  is  a  characterless 
roamer.  without  a  dominant  j)urpose  to  give  tone 


till 


REVIEW  OF  THE  FIELD. 


405 


ilclren  of 

Annual 
ped  oitv 
tivatiot'. 
iiference 
I.   which 
tint;  the 
,  and  all 
e  Rocky 
nded  in 
lat  time. 
A  few 
rness  rc- 
Mietrated 
nd.    The 
Ue  pecole 
who  had 
Dt  adven- 
nce  is  al- 
racterless 
(rive  tone 


and  fibre  to  his  l:)eing",  or  aim  and  force  to  his  life. 

The  Pioneer  has  character,  purpose,  an  ultimate 

aim,  and  an  intelligent  and  courageous  spirit  in 

its  pursuit.    The  Pioneers  of  the  Old  Oregon  were 

the  vanguard  of 

"A  mighty  nation  moving  west, 
With  all  its  sturdy  sinews  set 
Against  the  living  forests." 

They  knew  what  they  were.  They  had  measured 
their  i)owers  before  they  had  entered  the  regions 
which  they  had  selected  as  the  place  where  they 

'otild  plant  a  commonwealth  formed,  as  they  be- 
lieved, out  of  the  most  -trenuous  material  that 
America  liehl  within  her  borders,  and  for  a  destiny 
of  incomparable  greatness.  They  were  not  the 
children  and  the  waifs  of  tue  older  States,  but  they 
were 

"Bearded,  Stalwart,  Westmost  men, 
So  tower-like,  s'      othic  built" 

that  they  could  \\  1         kingdom  out  of  the  fore.st 

without  the  roar  of  studied  battle,  but  by  the  wast- 

less  vigor  of  ceasless  and  intelligent  toil.    This  was 

true  of  the  great  body  of  the  Pioneer  citizenship 

of  the  Pacific  Coast,  but  it  was  pre-eminently  true 

of  the  Pioneers  of  the  church.    The  Methodism  of 

Oregon,  both  in  its  laity  and  its  ministry,  was  not 

built  up  of  neophytes,  but  of  men  and  women  of 

approved  intelligence  and  solid  character,  the  full 


!  |: 


.**-* 


406 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


peers  of  any  ecjual  body  of  people  found  in  the 
church  between  the  seas.  Out  of  the  mission 
founded  by  Mr.  Lee  there  remained  in  the  country 
such  famihes  as  (Governor  and  ATrs.  George  Aber- 
net'hy,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Willson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamil- 
ton Campbell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Parrish,  Mrs. 
Joseph  Holman,  David  Tvcslie  and  wife,  Alvan  F. 
Waller  and  wife,  Mrs.  David  Carter.  Gustavus 
Hines  and  wife,  with  the  daughter  of  Jason  Lee, 
Miss  Lucy  A.  M.  Lee. William  Roberts  and  wife, 
who.  with  their  families,  have  had  a  chief  agency 
in  framing  and  directing  the  moral  and  intellectual 
and  even  the  civil  and  economic  life  of  the  coast 
up  to  the  present  time. 

Following  these,  and  coming  into  the  country, 
nrost  of  them,  before  the  organization  of  the  Mis- 
sion Conference,  were  such  families  as  that  of  Wil- 
liam Helm,  a  tried  and  approved  Methodist  itin- 
erant of  Kentucky,  who  renewed  his  earlier  Ken- 
tucky history  by  several  years  heroic  and  successful 
])ioneer  work  in  Oregon;  a  profound  theologian,  a 
devoted  and  reverent  Christian,  and  an  able  man 
of  affairs.  And  there  was  Clinton  Kelly,  unique  in 
personality,  strong  in  natural  and  cultivated  abil- 
ity, whose  life  was  a  perpetual  fountain  of  good  do- 
ing, and  whose  own  worth  and  character  have  been 
renewed  and  perpetuated  in  the  life  and  character 


REVIEW  OF  THE  FIELD. 


407 


in  the 
mission 

country 
e  Aber  ■ 
Hamil- 
;h,  Mrs. 
Uvan  F. 
Tustavus 
5on  Lee, 
ind  wife, 
f  agency 
tellectual 
the  coast 

country, 
the  Mis- 
it  of  Wil- 
jdist  itin- 
rlier  Ken- 
successful 
ologian.  a 
able  man 
unique  in 
^^ated  abil- 
»f  good  do- 
•  have  been 
i  character 


of  a  large  family,  numbering  some  of  the  large 
minded  publicists  and  professional  men  of  the 
State.  He.  too,  had  Ijeen  a  successful  minister  in 
the  old  r<entucky  Conference,  but  when  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  was  broken  in  sunder  over 
the  slavery  question  in  1844  his  loyalty  to  Method- 
ism, and  his  loyalty  to  freedom,  led  him  to  guide 
his  household  to  the  far  away  Oregon,  where  he 
,  could  enjoy  the  one  and  promote  the  other. 
Then  there  \vere  the  Garrisons  of  Yamhill,  the 
Belknaps  and  Starrs  of  Benton,  the  Howells  and 
Smiths  of  Marion,  the  Dennys  of  Puget  Sound, 
the  Pearles  of  Linn,  and  numberless  others,  all 
types  of  the  most  stalwart  manhood  as  well  as  of 
the  most  intelligent  and  devoted  Christian  life. 
They  had  brought  the  emotion  and  sentiment  of 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  the  far  outlook  and 
solid  endurance  of  the  prairies  of  Illinois  and  Iowa, 
the  cultivation  and  refinement  of  New  England, 
New  York  and  Ohio,  the  keen  perception  and 
vigilance  of  the  frontiers  of  Missouri,  and  in  the 
fullness  of  their  great  i)owers  sat  down  here  in 
Oreg'on  to  build  a  connnonwealth  and  found  a 
church  as  mature  and  strong  intellectually  and 
morally  at  their  beginning  as  were  those  of  the  east 
after  fifty  years  of  the  work  of  civil  and  ecclesias- 
tical artisans  upon  them.    Hundreds  and  hundreds 


ilM 


408 


MISS  I  ON  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


of  men  among  them,  entirely  unknown  to  history 
save  in  the  grandeur  of  their  aggregated  work, 
were  as  capal)le  of  the  highest  services  of  state  or 
church  as  any  of  those  who  were  called  to  render 
them.  Men  worthy  to  be  presidents  and  cabinet 
ministers,  who  only  lacked  the  opportunity  to  be- 
come such,  drove  ox  teams  from  the  Missouri  to 
the  Columbia.  Warriors  without  a  command 
walked  between  the  plow  handles  of  old  Marion, 
Linn,  Yamhill  and  Lane.  Senators  without  the 
toga  blew  the  fires  of  the  forges,  or  plied  the  rustic 
industries  of  village  and  prairie  in  Clackamas  or 
Polk  or  Multnomah.  Bishops  without  the  mitres 
preached  sermons  fit  for  metropolitan  pulpits,  or 
administered  missionary  cures  in  log  school-houses 
and  pioneer  cabins.  Orators  and  governors  pruned 
fruit  yards  and  planted  vineyards  in  rural  pre- 
cincts. They  were  the  best  fruit  of  this  splendid 
democracy  o\  ours,  which,  by  placing  government 
in  the  hands  of  the  people,  trains  thousands  of 
men  everywhere  for  highest  service  when  the  emer- 
gent hour  calls  them  forth  for  that  service. 

While  this  was  true  generally  as  to  the  socie- 
ty of  Oregon,  when  what  we  have  called  specifi- 
cally "the  missionery  era"  closed  with  the  organi- 
zation of  an  Annual  Conference,  it  was  peculiarly 
true  of  the  church  and  her  missionary  here.     Let 


•^w^fTTr' 


REVIEW  OF  THE  FIELD. 


409 


the  following-  incident  illustrate.  The  writer  was 
present  at  a  camp-meeting  in  the  center  of  the 
Willamette  Valley  soon  after  the  Annual  Confer- 
ence was  organized,  at  which  perhaps  a  thousand 
people  were  gathered.  They  had  come  in  their 
ox  wagons,  just  as  they  had  crossed  the  plains  but 
a  year  or  two  before.  The  legends  by  which  they 
journeyed  had  not  yet  faded  from  their  great 
white  covers.  Here  was  one  with  "Fifty-four-forty- 
or-fight"  upon  it,  a  suggestive  reminiscence  from 
the  political  contest  of  1844.  Here  was  another 
with  "Empire  moves  westward"  largely  displayed 
on  its  side.  Then  some  one  with  poetic  apprecia- 
tion of  Bryant  had  adopted  for  his  signet,  "Where 
rolls  the  Oregon."  Not  far  away,  near  the  tent  of 
a  tall  Kentuckian  stood  a  wagon  with  some  ox- 
yokes  piled  against  the  tongue,  and  on  its  cover 
in  large  letters  blazed  "Oregon  and  Freedom." 
The  heart  of  a  true,  brave  man  was  in  that  sign. 
Over  yonder  not  far  away  was  another,  rather  worn 
and  battered,  but  on  the  cover  one  could  read, 
"Oregon  or  over  Jordan."  The  presence  of  this 
legend  at  this  place  was  considered  conclusive  evi- 
tlence  that  Oregon  had  been  reached  by  the  bold 
voyager  of  the  plains,  but  that  the  "sweet  fields  be- 
yond the  swelling  flood"  were  yet  to  be  explored. 
These  people  had,  many  of  them,  journeyed  fif  - 


4IQ 


MISS  ZONA  R ) '  HIS  TOR  Y. 


ty  miles  in  their  ox  wagons  to  find  this  camp-meet- 
ing and  to  renew  here  the  experiences  and  rekindle 
the  emotions  of  the  old  life  heyond  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  it  was  the  first  that  many  of  them  had 
attended  since  they  had  made  the  two  thousand 
miles  pilgrimage  across  the  uninhabited  plains. 
The  gathering  was  typical  of  all  church  life  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  at  that  time.  There  were  not  many 
states  or  territories  of  the  Union  that  did  not 
make  some  contribution  to  it.  While  probably 
the  western  type  predominated,  there  was  a  strong 
element  of  the  southern  and  the  eastern.  The 
blending  of  these  into  one  made  the  Pacific  Coast 
type;  a  type  that  moderates  somewhat  the  impulse 
and  passion  of  the  south:  softens  the  tone  and 
voice  of  that  of  the  west ;  takes  away  something 
of  the  affected  .stateliness  and  cultured  propriety 
of  that  of  the  east,  and  constitutes  a  new  type; 
free,  forceful,  independent,  conservatively  aggre.s- 
sive,  optimistic,  having  in  its  movement  the  swing 
of  conquest  and  the  stride  of  victory. 

Sabbath  came  on.  One  of  the  old  missionaries 
preached  at  8  o'clock,  a  man  of  splendid  physique, 
with  a  voice  like  a  trumpet,  and  capable  at  times  of 
producing  an  overwhelming  effect  by  his  appeals 
to  the  heart  and  conscience  of  the  hearer.  At 
eleven  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Willamette  dis- 


REVIEW  OF  THE  FIELD. 


411 


p-meet- 
rekindlc 
Rocky 
lem  had 
housand 
1    plains. 
e  on  the 
ot  many 
did   not. 
probably 
a  strong 
•n.     The 
fie  Coast 
;  impulse 
tone  and 
3mething 
propriety 
lew  type; 
y  aggres- 
the  swing 

issionaries 
physique, 
it  times  of 
lis  appeals 
2arer.  At 
mette  dis- 


trict ascended  the  stand  and  delivered  one  of  his 
great  religious  orations.  At  two  P.  M.  one  of  the 
younger  men  who  had  entered  the  work  in  Oregon 
from  Ohio  but  a  few  months  l)efore.  trained  in  a 
college,  and  then  trained  in  actual  ministerial  work 
under  the  tutelage  of  such  men  as  Finley  and 
Trimble  and  Ciranville  Moody,  was  the  preache* . 
At  night  a  still  younger  man  from  New  York 
who,  notwithstanding  his  youth,  had  spent  four 
years  in  one  of  the  strongest  conferences  of  the 
church  where  such  men  as  Fillmore,  Chamber 
layne,  Seager,  Carlton  and  Thomas  had  been  his 
masters  and  models,  was  put  on  the  stand. 

The  audience  was  from  New  England.  New 
York,  Ohio.  Illinois.  Kentucky.  Tennessee.  Wis- 
consin. Missouri:  indeed,  from  nearly  every  State 
in  the  Union.  Not  a  single  ])erson  in  the  audience 
older  than  a  child  had  l>een  born  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  ]VIen  and  women  were  there  who  had 
listened  to  Hedding.  Fisk.  Bangs,  Maffit.  Olin, 
Bascom,  "Kavanaugh,  Walker,  Bigelow,  Akers, 
Cartwright.  and  numberless  others,  their  peers. 
The  standard  of  preaching  which  these  mighty 
men  had  taught  the  immigrant  Methodists  on  the 
camp  grounds  and  in  the  cities  and  villages  east 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  the  standard  by 
which  they  judged  the  preaching  on  this  occasion. 


11 


'ill 


i*;i 


if  Ml] 


n 


I:  I 


m 


41 


' 


III  i 


^IS 


M/SS/ONAR  V  HISTOR  Y. 


(ironps  would  g^ather.and  in  reminiscent  converse 
make  their  comparisons,  and  they  were  generally 
not  nnfa\oral)le  to  the  i)reachers  and  discourses 
on  that  Willamette  camp-ground  oil  that  splendid 
Sabbath  in  June.  And  this  gathering  of  preachers 
and  peoi)lc  was  only  a  fair  type  of  what  were  all 
the  preachers  and  people  that  the  Methodism  of 
the  east  had  contributed  out  of  its  best,  freshest, 
most  vigorous  life,  as  the  material  that  was  to  base 
her  history  of  the  Northwest.  A  journey  across 
the  plains  had  hardened  their  sinews,  keened  their 
])erceptions,  broadened  their  views,  and  given 
them  a  round,  full  manhood,  or  a  strong,  gracious 
womanhood  that  even  they  themselves  did  not 
possess  when  they  entered  upon  it.  As  battles  and 
marches  make  warrit)rs,  so  such  experiences  and 
and  struggles,  such  watchful  vigils  and  alert  action 
and  prompt  decisions  as  the  momentary  exigen- 
cies and  constant  perils  of  that  most  wonderful 
journey  required,  made  resourceful  and  reliable 
Christian  men  and  women.  Nine-tenths  of  all  the 
people  then  in  the  country  had  passed  the  way 
that  led  to  such  attainments.  And  such  was  the 
people  who  were  to  ])e  built  by  such  a  ministry 
into  the  foundations  of  Oregon  Methodism. 

In  estimating  the  character  of  the  field  that  had 
been  prepared  by  the  intelligent  and  devoted  toil 


kE\'IE\V  or  THE  FIELD. 


4'3 


of  the  missionaries  and  the  strenuous  processes  of 
emigration  for  the  work  of  the  Annual  Conference 
now  organized,  it  is  necessary  to  take  into  consid- 
eration the  character  and  tendencies  of  the  popu- 
lation of  Oregon  outside  of  the  church.  That  was 
no  less  distinctly  marked,  in  its  way,  than  was  the 
character  of  the  Christian  people.  The  same  ele- 
ments had  combined  to  develop  strength  and  inde- 
pendence and  powerful  personality  in  them  as  in 
t!ie  others.  Young  men  of  original  force,  of  high 
ambition,  fretted  by  the  limitations  that  circum- 
scribed their  action  and  enfeebled  their  efforts  in 
the  east,  and  aspiring  to  a  career  that  seemed  de- 
nied them  there,  worked  their  way  as  ox-drivers 
or  cattle  drovers  over  the  plains  to  find  their  op- 
portunity in  this  westernmost  west.  With  a  fresh 
diploma  from  a  school  of  law,  or  a  new  parchment 
from  a  medical  college,  or  an  A.B.  or  A.M.  de- 
gree from  Yale  or  Harvard,  they  walked  the  weary 
two  thousand  miles  that  stretched  into  broad  des- 
erts or  piled  into  rocky  mountains  between  the 
Missouri  and  the  Pacific,  to  find  the  scope  and 
verge  for  the  powers  they  knew  themselves  pos- 
sessed of  that  they  could  not  see  in  the  east.  Or, 
if  not  thus  trained  for  a  professional  life,  the  ambi- 
tions of  commerce,  or  the  attractions  of  agricul- 
ture, or  the  hopes  of  wealth  that  inspire  the  miner, 


\v  1 


4'4 


MISSK  )I^AK  Y  HIS  T(  >/v' ) '. 


iieive<l  hundreds  and  thousands  to  the  same  man- 
making  efforts  tliat  the  others  put  forth,  (^f  course 
all  w^re  not  of  such  high  morale,  hut  comparative- 
ly the  feeble,  the  ])urposeless,  the  weak  in  mind, 
and  the  low  in  nature  were  few. 

Morally  in  this  great  outside  world,  which  is  the 
true  field  of  Christian  effct,  there  was  much  of 
irreligion.  though  there  ^t;  >  little  of  infidelity. 
God  and  Christ  and  the  FJihle  were  not  rejected 
out  of  their  beliefs  though  their  lives  were  not 
made  to  comport  with  their  faiths.  Measurably 
this  may  be  so  with  most  people;  certainly  it  was 
so  with  them.  But  this  writer  believes,  if  a  true 
census  of  the  moral  influences  that  ultimate  in  a 
Ciu'istian  character  and  an  active  religious  life 
could  be  taken  it  would  be  found  that  a  larger 
number  of  the  people  who  come  to  this  coast  un- 
der such  conditions  would  be  found  who  finally 
became  truly  religious  than  of  any  other  class  of 
people  that  American  civilization  ever  saw.  The 
reasons  are  to  his  mind  obvious,  though  he  can- 
not trace  them  here.  • 

In  summing  up  the  condition  of  Oregon  Meth- 
odism in  Oregon  when  the  Oregon  and  California 
Mission  Conference  was  organized  in  1849,  we  find 
that  Methodism  had,  in  the  Territory,  four  minis- 
ters, 400  members,  and  but  three  churches.     In 


i^pir 


kEVIEW  01-    THE  FIELD. 


i'S 


;  jiian- 

course 

rative- 

mincl, 

1  is  the 
luch  of 
ridelity. 
ejected 
ere  not 
isurably 
{  it  was 
[  a  true 
ite  in  a 
ous   life 
a  larger 
oast  un- 
finally 

class  of 
w.     The 

he  can- 

n  Meth- 
>lifornia 
I,  we  find 
ur  minis- 
thes.     In 


> 


1898,  the  year  of  the  last  reports,  she  had  in  the 
conferences  inckuled  in  the  boundaries  of  the  then 
Oregon,  359  members  of  the  conference,  with  49 
probationers;  29,343  members  and  probationers 
in  the  church  and  22\  local  preachers;  and  477 
churches,  of  the  value  of  $1,038,005,  with  all  other 
church  interests  advanced  in  like  proportion. 
Thus  the  seed  planted  by  the  hand  of  Jason  Lee 
in  1834,  and  cultivated  by  those  who  succeeded 
him  in  the  work  that  he  so  splendidly  inaugurated, 
has  become  a  magnificent  harvest. 

The  work  within  the  conference  had  been  divi- 
ded by  Bishop  Ames  into  three  districts,  one  cov- 
ering the  Willamette  Valley,  to  which  Thomas  H. 
Pearne  was  appointed  Presiding  Elder;  another 
Southern  Oregon,  of  which  James  H.  Wilbur  was 
the  superintendent;  and  the  other  Northern  Ore- 
gon, to  the  charge  of  which  Benjamin  Close  was 
assigned.  In  the  Northern  and  Southern  Oregon 
the  population  was  very  small  and  widely  scatter- 
ed, and  there  were  no  church  organizations  of  any 
kind.  There  were  a  few  Methodists,  scattered 
\  ery  widely;  for  who  ever  knew  anybody  brave 
enough  or  adventurous  enough  to  go  deeper  into 
a  wilderness  or  further  onto  a  desert  than  Metho- 
dist preachers  or  people?  The  Northern  district 
included  all  the  country  north   of  tne  Columbia 


^l6 


MISSION  A  R } '  HIS  7  ( >A^ } '. 


River  and  west  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  the 
identical  territory  now  occupied  by  the  Pup;et 
Sound  Conference.  The  Southern  district  extend- 
etl  from  the  summit  of  the  Callapooia  Mountains 
to  the  CaHfornia  line,  and  was  also  entirely  west  of 
the  Cascade  Mountains.  East  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains  there  was  no  white  population,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  m  a  small  hamlet  of  Indian 
lodges,  cloth  tents  and  board  shanties  on  the  site 
of  the  old  mission  at  The  Dalles,  where  were  a  few 
traders  with  immigrants  and  Indians,  and  a  few 
iin'.iigrani:  families  who  had  stopped  in  the  late  au- 
tumn of  the  preceding  year.  All  that  vast  region 
now  covered  by  the  Columbia  River  and  Idaho 
Conferences  was  absolutely  without  white  inhabi- 
tants. 

In  comparing  the  population  of  the  country  in 
the  spring  of  1853,  and  more  particularly  the 
Methodist  population  with  the  number  and  abil- 
ity of  the  preachers  appointed  by  Bishop  Ames  to 
the  work  in  the  Conference,  one  is  impressed  with 
the  thought  that  Methodism  was  then  especially 
planning  for  the  future  and  not  simply  providing 
for  the  present.  The  whole  number  of  Methodists 
in  the  conference  would  not  more  than  have  suf- 
ficed for  three  average  charges  in  the  Eastern 
Coiiierences.    Men  of  first-class  capability  were  as- 


REMEW  OF  THE  FIELD. 


417 


signed  to  fields,  vast  in  extent  of  territory,  but 
with  only  a  few  people  and  no  reported  church 
members  at  all;  where  there  was  no  parsonage,  no 
church,  and  almost  no  means  of  support.  They 
went  without  a  murmur,  they  toiled  undiscour- 
aged,  and  they  wrought  as  the  master  workmen 
they  were.  One,  a  talented  though  frail  young- 
man,  with  an  accomplished  wife,  moved  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  with  an  ox  team  and  set  un 
the  banners  of  the  Cross  in  the  deep  southern  wil- 
derness. The  rigors  of  such  an  itineracy  proving 
too  severe  for  his  frail  body,  he  afterwards  locaterl 
became  a  leading  lawyer,  representated  his  State 
in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  with  great 
ability:  living  and  dying  a  noble  Christian  man. 
But  despite  all  poverty  and  all  difficulties,  nothing 
could  stand  still.  With  the  splendid  eloquence,  the 
intense  spirituality,  and  the  rugged  and  untiring 
zeal  of  Pearne  at  the  head  of  the  central  district 
of  the  conference  every  boy  was  made  a  man  and 
every  man  a  hero.  With  the  pathos  and  sympa- 
thy, the  effective  and  able  generalship  and  com- 
manding personality  of  Wilbur  in  Southern  Ore- 
gon, almost  alone  though  he  was,  the  mining 
camps  and  the  isolated  farmers  and  ranchmen  were 
reached  and  touched  and  turned  into  a  new  life 
e\ervwbere,    ("lose,  in  Northern  Oregon,  had  even 


fIflHffi 


4^3 


M/ssioNAR y  H/srORV. 


a  more  difficult  problem  than  Pearne  and  Wilbur. 
His  field  was  a  watery  one.  It  could  only  be  trav- 
ersed in  canoes.  What  people  were  in  it  were  more 
scattered  and  inaccessible.  Almost  the  densest 
wilderness  of  the  world  enveloped  Puget  Sound. 
It  was  a  still,  lone  hunt,  man  by  man,  family  by 
family.  There  were  literally  no  communities. 
Where  the  cities  of  that  unrivalled  sea  now  stand, 
if  the  solitude  of  the  "continuous  woods"  had  been 
broken  at  all,  it  was  only  by  the  Indian's  wigwam 
or  the  adventurous  pioneer's  low  and  lonely  log 
cabin.  Only  a  single  name  was  set  with  that  of 
Close  to  the  work  in  Northern  Oregon.  That  was 
W.  f>.  Morse,  a  young  man  whose  name  soon  dis- 
appeared from  the  lists  where  only  the  strong  and 
vigorous  and  indomitable  and  far-seeing  could 
long  remain.  It  can  hardly  be  said  that  real  work 
was  begun  on  Puget  Sound  until  a  somewhat  later 
day.  Mr.  Close  terminated  his  work  on  the  dis- 
trict when  only  a  tentative  occupancy  of  two  or 
three  points  had  l)een  niade.  These  were  made 
largely  by  John  F.  DeVore.  who  was  transferred 
from  the  Rock  River  to  the  Oregon  Conference  bv 
Bishop  .Ames  in  the  siunmer  of  1853,  and  who  be- 
came the  actual  pioneer  and  apostle  of  Puget 
Sound  Methodism,  but  the  history  of  whose  work 
belongs  to  a  late  period. 


Rli  I  IE  W '  or  THE  FIEIJ). 


419 


A'ilbur. 
)e  trav- 
-e  more 
densest 
Sound, 
niily  by 
amities. 
\!  stand, 
ad  been 
,vigwam 
lely  log- 
that  of 
hat  was 
oon  dis- 
ong-  and 
g    could 
eal  work 
hat  later 
the  dis- 
f  two  or 
re  made 
ansferred 
irence  bv 
who  be- 
){   Puget 
ose  work 


Such,  in  a  general  view,  was  the  tield  that,  in 
twenty-hve  years,  from  a  land  of  darkness  and  t>f 
the  shadow  of  death,"  a  land  hidden  out  of  the 
sight  of  the  civilized  world  under  a  pall  of  age- 
long pagan  darkness,  had  l)een  prepared  by  the 
missionary  work  of  the  church  for  the  ultimate  and 
])erpetual  occupancy  of  a  free  Christian  civiliza- 
iton.  History  has  no  parallel  to  such  missionizing. 
If  the  church,  in  a  moment  of  forgetfulness,  was 
impatient  of  the  work  of  her  heroes  that  was  bring- 
mg  in  this  possibility,  she  has  now  abundant  rea- 
son to  crown  those  she  could  not  then  understand 
with  her  greenest  laurels  and  her  highest  love. 


\'\ 


IH,1 


I 


1 

i 

i 

i 

1 

1 

XXIII. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

And  wisdom  aud  knowledge  shall  be  the  stability  of  thy  times 
and  the  strength  of  salvation. 

OUR  readers  have  already  seen  with  what  care 
and  interest  the  work  of  education  was  push- 
ed forward  among  the  Indians  from  the  l)egiiming- 
of  Mr.  Lee's  work  in  the  autumn  of  1834.  He 
even  considered  it  not'  "iily  an  important,  l)Ut 
really  the  chief  instrument  in  the  work  he  had  un- 
der taken  to  do  for  them.  With  little  hope  of  any 
very  large  benefit  coming  to  the  adult  Indians  in- 
dividually through  the  work  of  the  mission,  he  had 
great  hope  that  the  children  could  be  brought  into 
the  school  in  large  numbers  and  kept  there  until 
they  had  acquired  a  good  education  and  been  well 
trained  in  the  arts  and  economies  of  civilized  life. 
In  the  progress  of  our  history  we  have  already 
seen  how  these  expectations  were  disappointed  at 
the  old  mission  station,  and  yet  how  persistently 
and  consistently  he  clung  to  them,  and  how  great- 
ly he  enlarged  the  capacity  of  the  school  in  the 
erection  of  the  new  Manual  Labor  School  build- 
ing on  the  removal  of  the  mission  from  Chemawa 


thy  times 


hat  care 
as  push 
eghining 
'34-     He 
ant,   l>ut 
!  had  tin- 
DC  of  any 
idians  in- 
11.  he  had 
aght  into 
lere  until 
been  well 
ilized  life, 
e  already 
lointed  at 
Tsistently 
ow  great- 
)ol  in  the 
ool  build- 
Chemawa 


'i 

I     J 


V. 


r  % 


v. 
y. 

y. 

1/    'J 


REVIEW  OF  THE  FIELD. 


42/ 


to  Chemekete.  After  the  death  of  Cyrus  Shepard, 
who  was  chosen  by  Mr.  Lee  for  that  special  work 
before  comino^  to  Oregon,  the  school  was  well 
cared  for  by  other  teachers,  and.  at  times,  seemed 
to  be  destined  to  fulfill  the  hopes  of  the  superinten- 
dent. We  have  already  seen  how,  despite  all  the 
efforts  of  the  superintendent  and  some  of  the 
ablest  men  in  the  mission,  the  door  of  failure  seem- 
ed to  darken  over  it  because  the  doom  of  extinc- 
tion was  darkening  over  the  Indian  race.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  recapitulate  the  steps  by  which, 
at  last,  the  fine  property  of  the  "Indian  Manual 
Labor  School" — much  the  finest  in  Oreu^on  at  that 
time — passed  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Missionary 
Board  by  the  act  of  Mr.  Gary,  and  became  the 
possession  of  the  trustees  of  the  "Oregon  Insti- 
tute." This  action  of  Mr.  Gary  so  far  as  its  inten- 
tions were  concerned,  was  noble  and  praiseworthy, 
however  unfortunate  it  afterwards  proved  to  the 
Missionary  Board  and  even  to  the  cause  of  edu- 
cjltion  itself.  Had  Mr.  Lee's  purpose  been  carried 
out  and  the  grant  of  the  mile  square  of  land  held 
by  the  mission  under  the  Provisional  Government, 
made  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  as 
it  was  made  to  all  missionary  stations  that  had 
been  maintained  as  such  up  to  the  time  of  the 
passage  of  the  act  by  Congress,  one  can  easily  see 


i^ 


1  ;    ■15 


;  r. 


422 


MISSIONAR  Y  HlSrOR  Y. 


what  a  majj^nificent  vantage  j^^round  both  school 
and  church  would  have  held  in  Oregon.  The 
transfer  of  the  property  to  the  Trustees  of  the 
Oregon  Institute  obliterated  the  mission,  and 
every  claim  it  had  i.eforc  to  an  inch  of  land  at 
Chemekete.  The  Trustees  of  the  Institute  could 
not  ac(|uire  title  wiien  the  mission  abandoned 
theirs,  and  so.  when  Congress  passed  the  act 
granting  lands  to  settlers  and  to  missions,  both 
the  Missionary  Board  and  the  Trustees  of  the  Insti- 
tute had  no  case  under  the  law.  It  is  worthy  of 
repeated  remark  that  the  very  month  this  sad 
work  was  done  at  Salem  by  the  new  superinten- 
dent. Mr.  Lee  was  in  the  city  of  Washington  using 
all  his  influence  with  the  President  and  members 
of  Congress  for  the  passage  of  an  act  to  secure  the 
very  thing  that  had  thus  been  made  impossible  in 
this  case,  namely,  the  confirmation  of  the  title  to 
640  acres  of  land  at  all  the  mission  stations  on  the 
coast.  What  should  ha\'e  been  done,  and  what 
Mr.  T-ee  intended  to  do.  and  what  the  Missionary 
Board  in  New  ^'ork.  after  they  had  met  Mr.  Lee 
in  June  of  1844,  also  desired  to  have  done,  was  to 
continue  the  Mission  Manual  Labor  School,  gath- 
ering in  all  the  Indian  children  possible  from  near 
and  far.  and.  while  the  Manual  Labor  training 
system  was  having  a  more  thorough  test,  await 


■"■^ 


EDUCATIONAL. 


4^3 


school 
1.     The 

of  the 
-)n.    and 
land  at 
:e  could 
andoned 
the    act 
ns,  both 
he  Tnsti- 
orthy  of 
this   sad 
Derinten- 
:on  using 
members 
ecure  the 
ossible  in 
e  title  to 
ns  on  the 
ind  what 
[issionary 

Mr.  Lee 
le.  was  to 
ool.  gath- 
from  near 
•  training 
est,  await 


the  action  of  the  government  in  the  passage  of  i 
land  hill  for  Oregon;  which  Mr.  Lee  was  fully  as- 
sured would  l)e  favorable  to  the  rightful  claims  of 
the  missions.  Surely  there  were  no  rightly  claims 
to  the  consideration  of  the  United  States  govern- 
ment in  Oregon,  if  the  work  done  by  Mr.  Lee  and 
Dr.  Whitman  and  their  associates  and  companions 
in  o])ening  the  great  Northwest  to  .Vmerican  occu- 
pancy, and  leading  the  nation  to  its  magnificent 
heritage  on  the  Pacific  shores,  had  not  secured 
that  claim.  The  whole  nation  so  recognized  it. 
But.  in  this  case,  it  was  lost. 

The  Trustees  of  the  Oregon  Institute  took  pos- 
session of  the  premises  of  the  Indian  Manual  La- 
bor School  in  the  sununer  of  1844,  and  from  that 
time  the  latter  name  was  blotted  from  the  current 
history  of  Methodism  in  the  Northwest,  and  the 
other  comes  into  view  as  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant factors  of  the  history. 

A  few  weeks  after  that  change  was  accomplish- 
ed Gustavus  Hines,  who,  with  Alvan  F.  Waller 
and  others,  had  yielded  rather  reluctantly  to  the 
purpose  of  Mr.  (iary  to  dispose  of  the  property  in 
any  form,  and  consented  to  it  at  last  only  when 
they  saw  that,  if  it  were  not  disposed  of  in  thi.-, 
way,  it  would  be  in  some  other  less  favorable  to 


424 


MISSIONAR  Y  HIS  TOR  K 


the  interests  of  Methodism,  wrote  to  the  Mission- 
ary Board  in  New  York  as  follows: — 

THE   OREGON    INSTITUTE. 

"This  institution  stands  upon  an  elevated  por- 
tion of  a  beautiful  plain,  surrounded  with  the  most 
delightful  scenery,  and  at  a  point  which,  in  some 
future  day  is  destined  to  be  one  of  great  import- 
ance. The  building  is  beautifully  proportioned, 
being  seventy-five  feet  long  and  forty-eight  feet 
wide,  including  the  wings,  and  three  stories  high. 
When  finished  it  will  not  only  present  a  fine  ap- 
pearance without,  but  will  be  commodious,  and 
well  adajjted  to  the  jnu'poses  intended  to  l)e  ac- 
complished within.  It  is  already  so  far  advanced 
that  a  school  is  now  in  successful  operation,  under 
the  tuition  of  one  well  qualified  to  sustain  its  in- 
terests. Already  it  numbers  more  students  than 
did  Cazenovia  Seminary  or  the  Wilbraham  Acad- 
emy at  their  commencement,  and  who  can  tell  but 
that  it  may  ecjual,  if  not  surpass  both  these  institu- 
tions in  importance  and  usefulness.  Though  T 
cannot  say  that  it  is  the  only  hope  of  Oregon,  for 
whether  it  lives  or  dies  ( )regon  will  yet  be  re- 
deemed from  the  remains  of  Paganism  and  the 
gloom  of  Papal  darkness  by  which  she  is  sur- 
rounded; but  the  sentiment  forces  itself  upon  the 
mind  that  the  subject  of  the  Oregon  Institute  i-^; 
\ital  to  the  interests  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  If  it  lives  it  will  be 
a  luminary  in  the  moral  heaven  of  Oregon,  shed- 
ding abroad  the  light  of  knowledge  long  after  its 
founders  have  ceased  to  live.  But  if  it  dies,  our 
sun  is  set.  and  it  is  impossible  to  tell  what  will  suc- 
ceed. Perhaps  a  long  and  cheerless  night 
of      Papal      darkness;       but.      more      probably, 


EDUCATIONAL, 


495 


others  more  worthy  of  the  honor  than  ourselves, 
will  come  forth  to  mould  the  moral  mass  to  their 
own  liking,  and  give  direction  to  the  literature 
and  religion  of  Oregon." 

This  letter  was  written  in  the  summer  of  1844. 
Perhaps  in  May  of  1845,  ^s  the  writer  well  remem- 
bers, it  appeared  in  the  "Christian  Advocate  and 
Journal."  and  one  bright  sunny  afternoon  the  pa- 
per found  'ts  way  into  an  humble  rural  home  in 
northwestern  New  York,  while  he  was  but  a 
youth,  and  sitting  all  rilone  by  the  side  of  his  own 
mother  and  the  niuther  of  the  writer,  he  read  it 
to  her  listening  ears;  rather  to  her  listening  heart, 
and  they  talked  of  the  distant  son  and  brother,  so 
distant  that  it  seemed  improbable  if  not  impossible 
that  we  should  ever  look  upon  his  face  ngain. 
Yet  we  did,  and  side  by  side  we  wrought  for  many 
a  year  in  that  same  Oregon  in  the  darkness  of 
which  he  was  then  so  deeply  shut  in. 

In  our  treatment  of  the  history  of  the  Oregon 
Institute  we  do  not  intend  to  do  more  than  to 
give  the  story  of  the  school  as  such,  and  thus  bring 
to  view  the  work  of  those  who  so  devotedly  and 
successfully  wrought  within  it  and  for  it.  , 

Under  the  Board  of  Trustees,  upon  a  lady  de- 
volved the  honor  of  opening  the  Oregon  Institute, 
and  conducting  the  first  school  of  this  character 
on  the  Pacific  Coast.     We  are  elad  to  make  this 


t  ^^ 


(     ;l' 


1  '' 

i 


MK-ii 


4.26 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


record.  The  ladies  of  the  Oregon  Mission,  the 
wives  and  daughters  of  the  missionaries,  have 
never  been  given  the  proper  credit  for  the  part 
they  bore  and  the  work  they  did  in  Oregon. 
Some  writer  should  enshrine  their  names  antl 
memories  in  terms  as  sweet  as  i)oetry  ever  sang  or 
affection  ever  uttered. 

Mrs.  C.  A.  Willson  was  the  lady  for  whom  the 
distinguished  honor  of  opening  the  Oregon  Insti- 
tute v/as  reserved.  ' 

Mrs.  Willson.  nee  Miss  Chloe  A.  Clark,  was  a 
member  of  the  great  reinforcement  of  i^^39.  She 
was  appointed  to  the  Oregon  Mission  as  a  teacher 
for  the  children  of  the  missionaries.  On  her  ar- 
rival in  the  country  June  ist.  1840.  she  was  assign- 
ed to  work  with  Dr.  J.  P.  Richmond  at  Nesqually. 
on  Puget  Sound,  where  Mr.  Willson  had  charge 
of  the  secular  ^fTairs  of  the  mission.  In  a  few 
months  Mr.  Willson  and  Miss  Clark  were  married. 
They  remained  at  Nesqually  until  the  work  at  that 
station  was  abandoned,  when  they  were  called  by 
the  superintendent  to  Salem  and  were  employed 
at  that  station,  Mr.  Willson  in  the  secular  work 
and  Mrs.  Willson  in  teaching. 

Mrs.  Willson's  work  in  the  school  was  of  an  ex- 
cellent character.  The  institution  took  high  rank 
under  her  care.     It  was  conducted  as  a  boarding 


^ 


EDUCATIONAL 


427 


school,  and  the  most  of  the  students  were  from 
abroad  and  boarded  in  the  institution.  At  the 
close  of  the  first  year  of  the  existence  of  the  insti- 
tuition.  an  imperative  need  was  felt  for  enlarged 
facilities,  and  especially  for  an  increase  of  the 
teaching  force.  The  autumn  of  1845  brought  a 
large  immigration  f  "om  the  east  into  the  Willam- 
ette Valley,  mostly  composed  of  families,  many  of 
whom  had  already  had  echvational  opportunities 
in  the  old  states,  and  great  interest  was  felt  by  all 
in  the  building  up  of  the  Institute.  Xot  only  so. 
it  became  evident  to  all  that  the  Willamette  Val- 
ley was  to  rapidly  fill  up  with  population,  and  that 
very  soon  a  thoroughly  ecjuipped  school  of  an 
academic  grade  would  be  an  absolute  need.  This 
had  become  apparent  by  the  close  of  the  first  year 
of  the  school,  but  the  conditions  of  the  mission, 
and  the  circumstances  surrounding  and  shadowing 
the  title  of  the  Institute  to  the  property  which  it 
held  were  such  that  nothing  more  could  be  done 
than  to  continue  the  school  under  the  care  of  Mrs. 
Wdlson,  with  such  help  as  could  be  had  from  the 
missionaries  and  immigrants  until  such  futiire  time 
as  some  way  out  of  the  embarrassments  of  the  f,it- 
uation  could  be  found.  One  of  the  difficulties  of  the 
situation  arose  from  the  fact  that  the  Provisional 
Government  had  enacted  no  laws  permitting  the 


428 


MISS  ION  A  R  \ '  HIS  TORY 


\\    I 


n  mm' 


incorporation  of  such  bodies  as  trustees  of  schools, 
and  hence  no  purchases  could  he  made  nor  sales 
effected,  nor  any  property  held  by  any  legal  tenure. 
A  more  embarrassing  situation  could  hardly  be  con- 
ceived of. 

Not  much  change  occurred  in  the  condition  or 
prospects  of  the  institution  until  1847.  when  Wil- 
liam Roberts  arrived  in  the  country  and  superseded 
Mr.  Gary  as  superintendent  of  the  Mission.  With 
him  came  James  H.  Wilbur,  who  soon  took  charge 
of  the  institution  under  the  appointment  of  Mr. 
Roberts,  ruid  conducted  it  successfully  for  perhaps 
a  couple  of  years. 

Meantime  the  Missionary  Societ^•  in  New  York 
was   appealed    to   for    aid    in    ])rocuring   (jualifieJ 
teachers,  and  also  for  assistance  in  the  permanent 
endowment  of  the  school.     The  Board  agreed  to 
send  out  from  time  to  time,  at  its  own  charges, 
such  properly  (jualified  teachers  as  npght  be  neces- 
sary to  man  the  school  and  sustain  the  educational 
department  of  church  Nvork  in  the  Northwest.     In 
compliance  with  that  agreement  in  the  sunnner  of 
1849  l^t'\ .  Nehemiah  Doane,  who  was  at  that  time 
a  student  in  the  Biblical  Institmc  at  C  oncord,  New 
Hampshire,  was  invited  by  the   Missionary   l>oar(l 
to  accept  the  position  of  a  teacher  in  the  "( )rego'i 
Institute."     He  accepted,  anfl  in  September,  184c), 


chools, 
)r  sales 
tenure, 
be  con- 


ition  or 
en  Wil- 
)ersede(l 
I.  With 
<;  charge 
:  of  Mr. 
perhaps 

e\v  York 
ciualified 
srmanent 
loreed  to 
charges, 
be  neces- 
kicational 
iwest.    In 
unimer  oi 
that  time 
cord,  New 
ary  l>oard 
e  "Oregon 
nl)er,  1849, 


N.    DOANK.   I'.n. 


i^^i.-^ 


UIUIIWII 


EDUCATIONAL. 


429 


was  received  on  trial  in  the  Clenesse  Annual  Con- 
ference, ordained  Deacon  and  Elder  under  the  mis- 
sionary rule,  and  appointed  as  "Missionary  to  Ore- 
gon," in  view  of  that  position. 

Mr.  Doane  was  at  this  time  a  student  in  the 
Methodist  Biblical  Institute  at  Concord,  New 
Hampshire,  under  the  presidency  of  the  renowned 
John  Dempster,  and  the  especial  tutelage  of  Os- 
rnan  C.  Baker,  afterwards  one  of  the  most  revered 
Bishops  of  the  church,  and  the  friend  and  confidant 
of  Jason  Lee  when  they  were  fellow  students  under 
Dr.  Fisk  at  Wilbraham.  Mr.  Doane  had  entered 
as  a  student  in  the  Biblical  Institute  on  the  first 
•day  of  its  existence  in  April,  1847,  and  had  steadily 
pursued  his  work  of  preparation  for  the  Christian 
ministry  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  until 
his  call  to  the  mission  field  in  Oregon  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1849.  His  fitness  for  the  place  was  most 
emphatically  endorsed  by  the  president  and  profes- 
sors of  the  Biblical  Institute.  He  was  the  first 
man  ever  appointed  to  tlie  foreign  missionary 
work — as  Oregc^n  was  then  rated  as  a  foreign  mis- 
sion— from  any  theological  school  in  Methodism. 
While  hi-  was  in  school  an  incident  occurred  which, 
in  its  after  results,  united  Mr.  Doane's  life  to  Meth- 
odist history  by  a  \ery  strong  and  te.der  tie.  He 
met  by  i  hance  a  small,  somewhat  nervous  young 


k    i 


■I  • 


430 


MISSIONARY  HIS  TOR  V. 


man.  some  years  younger  than  himself,  stniggHng 
with  adverse  conditions,  yet  aspiring  to  a  greater 
and  broader  life,  with  whom  he  fell  into  conversa- 
tion. He  pressed  him  most  earnestly  to  set  his 
mark  for  a  thorough  collegiate  training,  including 
a  thological  course.  It  was  the  first  dawning  of 
such  a  possibility  on  the  mind  of  the  young  man. 
and  he  resolved  then  and  there  to  follow  the  ad- 
vice thus  given.  That  young  man  was  Charles  H. 
Payne.  This  is  not  tradition.  The  writer,  and  the 
whole  Oregon  Conference  heard  this  statement 
made  with  most  affecting  pathos  by  Dr.  Payne 
himself,  in  the  presence  of  the  honored  instrument 
of  so  much  good,  not  more  than  nine  months  be- 
fore his  translation  to  be  with  God. 

Mr.  Doane  left  New  York  for  Oregon  on  the 
steamer  Empire  City  on  the  i6th  day  of  October. 
1849.  via  Panama.  On  the  4th  day  of  November 
he  preached  the  first  Methodist  sermon  ever  deliv- 
ered in  that  city.  In  the  beginning  of  1850  he 
reached  the  Columbia  River,  and  finding  his  way  to 
Salem  through  far  more  perils  and  difficulties  than 
one  would  now  meet  in  traveling  round  the  world, 
though  it  was  only  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  in  the  spring  of  1850  he  took  the  place 
for  which  'c  had  been  chosen  by  the  Missionary 
Board  in  the  "Oregon  Institute." 


EDUCATIONAL, 


431 


About  the  same  time  Mr,  Doane  took  charge  of 
the  Institute  the  Missionary  Board  entered  into 
corresi)ondenc  with  Rev.  Francis  S.  Hoyt,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  Jersey  Conference  and  then  sta- 
tioned in  Bergen,  asking  him  to  consider  the  ques- 
tion of  accepting  the  principalship  of  the  Oregon 
Institute,  to  which  Mr.  Doane  had  been  appointed 
as  teacher.  After  due  consideration  the  appoint- 
ment was  accepted,  and  under  the  direction  of  the 
Board  Mr.  Hoyt  spent  a  few  weeks  in  farewell  vis- 
its among  his  New  Engkmd  friends,  and  in  soHcit- 
ing  contributions  of  money  for  the  purchase  of 
philosophical  and  chemical  apparatus  for  use  in  the 
Institute.  Having  been  ordained  an  elder  under 
the  missionary  rule  at  the  session  of  the  Oneida 
Conference,  he  reported  to  the  Board  in  New 
York  in  the  first  week  in  September,  and  soon  after 
sailed  from  that  city  in  one  of  the  steamers  of  the 
Panama  line  for  his  allotted  fieM  of  labor.  Besides 
Mr.  Hoyt  and  his  wife.  ivev.  John  Flinn  sailed  ni 
the  same  ship  for  the  Oregon  work;  and  M.  C. 
Briggs,  S.  D.  Symonds  and  wife,  and  Edward  Ban- 
nister, with  wife  and  children,  for  the  work  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

Late  in  October,  1850,  Messrs.  Hoyt  and  Flinn 
reached  Oregon,  landing  at  Portland,  then  a  rus- 
tic hamlet  of  some  twentv  or  thirtv  habitations, 


*e 


k  4^ 


43» 


.]flSSrONAR  V  HIS  TOR  Y. 


m 


! 


:* 


and  a  few  jjlaces  of  business.  In  the  most  primi- 
tive style  of  ])ioneer  travel  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoyt 
made  their  way  to  Salem,  and  he  entered  at  on;e 
on  his  work  as  jjrincipal  of  the  Institute. 

He  found  the  school  under  management  of  Mr. 
Doane  in  a  very  satisfactory  state,  notwithstanding^ 
the  uncom])leted  condition  of  the  building  and  the 
limited  facilities  at  command  for  its  advancemenl. 
The  thoroughness  of  instruction  and  the  precision 
and  order  of  his  work  delighted  the  new  principal, 
and  he  was  greatly  pleased  with  tiie  i)rospect  of 
having  him  for  an  associate  in  the  conduct  of  the 
great  interest  that  had  been  committed  to  his 
charge.  But  this  satisfaction  was  short  lived,  for 
plans  had  already  been  framed  by  the  Superinten- 
dent. William  Roberts,  in  connection  with  James 
H.  Wilbur,  who  had  charge  of  the  work  in  Port- 
land, for  the  erection  of  an  academy  in  that  place, 
and  Mr.  Roberts  decided  to  send  Mr.  Doane  imme- 
diately to  open  a  school  there  in  preparation  for  the 
intended  academy.  In  pursuance  of  this  decision 
Mr.  Doane  removed  to  Portland  and  opened  the 
first  school  ever  taught  in  that  place.  This  ar- 
rangement was  not  in  harmony  with  the  ideas 
of  Mr.  Hoyt,  and  certainly  not  in  harmony 
Avith  the  interests  of  the  Oregon  Institute, 
which   was  left  by  it   with  an  inadequate  faculty. 


I'lnrCATIOXAL. 


433 


and  compelled  the  principal  to  devt  te  all  iiis  ener- 
gies to  mere  class  work  in  the  school  room.  Of 
course  it  was  an  advantage  to  the  Portland  enter- 
prise, and  the  school  of  Mr.  Doane  in  ihat  place 
furnished  an  important  nucleus  around  which  its 
supporters  could  gather  and  more  successfully 
prosecute  their  work. 

Th.e  difficulties  that  surrounded  the  educational 
work  of  the  church  in  Oregon  were,  from  the  he- 
ginning,  most  formidable.  They  arose  from  a  vari- 
ety of  causes  which  need  to  be  stated  before  the 
reader  can  understand  the  heroic  struggle  which 
those  who  bad  that  work  in  special  charge  had  to 
make  to  sustain  it  all,  much  more  to  carry  it  to  any 
successful  results.  The  necessity  for  schools  was 
apparent;  all  could  see  it  and  feel  it.  But  how  to 
perform  that  which  it  was  seen  was  so  vital  and 
imperative  was  not  easil\  found.  As  a  starting 
point  in  the  statement  the  vast  extent  of  the  coun- 
try and  the  smallness  of  its  population  must  be  ob- 
served in  connection  with  each  other. 

Oregon,  which,  at  the  lime  of  the  initiation  of 
the  educational  plans  of  the  church  here,  was  all 
the  Pacific  Northwest,  meant  in  fact  the  country 
west  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  extending  from 
the  Straits  of  F"uca,  on  the  north,  to  the  California 
line  on  the  south,  a  distance  of  500  miles.      Its 


SA 


i 


mi 


434 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


1 


!:'   I 


width  was  from  the  ocean  to  the  mountains,  about 
150  miles.     Its  poi)ulation  did  not  exceed  10,000. 
and  they  were  widely  scattered  over  the  plains  and 
through  the  forests  and  along  the  rivers  and  bays 
of  that  immense  area.     The  facilities  for  intercom- 
munication between  the  different  sections  of  the 
country  were  very  limited  and  poor.     Except  upon 
the  open  prairies,  which  was  far  the  smaller  por- 
tion of  the  country,  there  were  literally  no  roads; 
only  such  trails  as  none  but  those  who  had  driven 
ox  teams  over  the  Rocky  Mountains  would  think 
ir  possible  for  a  vehicle  to  pass  over.     There  were 
no  towns.    When  the  Oregon  Institute  was  estab- 
lished two  or  three  only  of  what  are  now  the  great 
cities  were  rude  hamlets  of  from  one  to  four  hun- 
dred people.     Portland  was  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness.   Seattle,  Tacoma.  Olympia,  Albany,  Eugene, 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  present  beautiful  cities  of 
Oregon  and  Washington  had  no  existence  even  in 
the  dreams  of  dreamers.     Oregon  City  and  Salem 
v/ere  hardly  more  than  names.     The  geographical 
empire  was  here,  but  the  empire  of  people  was  yet 
to  come.    When  Mr.  Hoyt,  the  third  teacher  that 
took  charge  of  Oregon  Institute,  found  his  way 
from  the  steamer  that  landed  him  on  the  shores  of 
Oregon  to  the  seat  of  the  educational  institution 
he  had  come,  under  the  authority  of  the  church. 


EDUCATIONAL. 


435 


about 

lO.OOO, 

ms  and 
1(1  bays 
ercom- 
of  the 
pt  upon 
er  por- 
)  roads; 
1  driven 
d  think 
;re  were 
[IS  estab- 
he  great 
our  hun- 
T  wilder- 
Eugene, 
cities  of 
e  even  in 
nd  Salem 
igrajihical 
e  was  yet 
icher  that 
1  his  way 
;  shores  of 
nstitution 
le  church, 


to  build  up,  it  was  by  canoe  and  ox  wagon.  Mr. 
Doane,  who  had  preceded  him  by  about  a  year, 
had  it  even  worse  than  that.  And  all  this  was  in 
the  most  populous  and  best  improved  region  of  the 
Empire  of  the  Pacific.  And  that  was  less  than  fifty 
years  ago.  Within  a  radius  of  twenty-five  miles  from 
the  Institute  there  could  not  have  resided  at  that 
time  more  than  3,000  people,  and  within  daily 
reach  of  the  school  not  more  than  1,000.  Jacob 
was  small,  exceedingly  small. 

Small  and  scattered  as  was  this  population  there 
were  social  and  economic  conditions  that  increased 
the  difficulties.  One  was  this:  The  "Land  Dona- 
tion Law,"  enacted  by  Congress  in  1848,  had  pro- 
vided for  the  donation  of  320  acres  of  land  to  a 
single  man,  or  640  acres  to  a  man  and  wife — 320 
to  each — on  a  continuous  residence  of  four  years 
upon  it.  This  provision  led  to  innumerable  cases 
of  "love  at  first  sight."  Many  of  them  were  ex- 
treme. (Jirls  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  years  of  age 
were  often  married  to  "get  the  land."  The  effect 
of  this  condition  was  to  take  out  of  the  schools 
nearly  all  girls  of  from  twelve  to  twenty  years  of 
age.  and  also  all  the  young  men  of  from  eighteen 
to  twenty-five,  leaving  for  students  only  children. 
As  the  schools  were  entirely  dependent  upon  tui- 
tion for  their  support,  they  found  it  exceedingly 


it' I 


iim^ 


I 

4 


436 


MISSIONARY  If /STORY. 


difficult  to  maintain  even  a  respectable  teachinj^ 
corps,  much  less  an  adequate  one.  Indeed 
but  for  the  fact  that  the  schools  of  the  church  were 
under  tlie  care  of  ministers  belonjjfin^  to  the  Con- 
ference, most  of  whom  had  wives  competent  for 
te^^hinj^.  and  who  were  always  ready  to  take  up 
the  burdens  that  no  one  else  could  be  found  to 
bear,  they  could  not  have  been  carried  on  at  all. 
This  was  the  case  at  the  Oregon  Institute,  where, 
first.  Mrs.  Doane  and  afterwards  Mrs.  Hoyt,  were 
the  ever  ready  and  abundantly  competent  helpers 
of  their  husbands  in  all  departments  of  school  work 
whenever  the  exigencies  required  that  sacrifice. 

While  this  work  was  going  forwards  in  the  Ore- 
gon Institute  under  Mr.  Hoyt,  other  educational 
enterprises  were  inaugurated  elsewhere.  That  at 
Portland  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Wilbur,  with 
Mr.  Doane  as  teacher,  has  already  been  not-ed. 
With  his  accustomed  energy.  Mr.  Wilbiu-  pushed 
his  work  forward.  He  procured  of  the  proprietors 
of  the  town  site  three  blocks  of  land  most  eligibly 
located,  as  a  donation.  On  one  of  them  a  good 
academic  building  was  erected  ,and  the  other  two 
were  reserved  for  future  endowment  of  the  school. 
Portland  was  yet  a  hamlet  in  the  forest,  but  its 
people  had  large  dreams,  which  were  not  all 
dreams,  for  its  future.     The  blocks  secured  were 


i 


eachitij;' 

Indeed 
ch  were 
he  Con- 
tent for 
take  up 
onnd  to 
n  at  all. 
;.  where, 
►yt,  were 
t  helpers 
ool  work 
rifice. 
the  Ore- 
ncational 

That  at 
Inir.  with 
Ml   not'ed. 
^Y  pushed 
roprietors 
St  eligibly 
m  a  good 
other  tAvo 
he  school, 
it,  but  its 
e    not    all 
ured  were 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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m^ 


EDUCATIONAL. 


in  the  midst  of  great  fir  trees,  far  away  from  the 
few  business  houses  tliat  stood  on  the  river  banks, 
and  it  required  a  vast  amount  of  the  hardest  kind 
of  work  to  clear  away  the  timber  and  prepare  the 
site  for  occupancy,  but  such  difificulties  were  noth- 
ing to  such  stalwart  pioneers  as  Wilbur  and  those 
associated  with  him.  At  the  same  time  this  was 
being  done  a  church  was  being  built  by  the  same 
indomitable  man.  He  was  architect,  carpenter,  ox- 
driver,  axman.  painter,  blacksmith  and  pastor.  He 
begged  money  and  material  from  door  to  door. 
When  all  other  resources  were  exhausted  he  called 
on  the  Missionary  Board  in  New  York  for  assist- 
ance, and  that  body  advanced  him  $2,000,  with 
which  to  complete  tlie  academy,  to  be  repaid  in 
some  better  day  hereafter.  Finally  the  academy 
and  church  were  both  completed,  and  church  and 
educational  work  were  put  on  a  solid  foundation 
in  Portland.  By  the  close  of  1851  this  school  was 
in  successful  operation  under  the  charge  of  Rev. 
Calvin  S.  Kingsley.  who  had  been  transferred  from 
Michigan  to  take  charge  of  it.  He  was  an  able 
man,  and  an  excellent  educator,  and  the  school  was 
highly  prosperous  under  his  presidency  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  ' 
During  all  this  period  of  struggle  the  Oregon  In- 
stitute, and,  succeeding  that,  the  Willamette  Uni- 


"W 


43S 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  Y. 


r\ 


.IHii 


versity,  was  the  leading  educational  institution  of 
the  Pacific  Northwest,  and  Mr.  Hoyt,  as  principal 
of  the  one  and  president  of  the  other,  the  leading 
educator  in  the  same  field.  Few  men  combine  in 
themselves  more  of  the  qualities  of  a  successful  col- 
lege president  than  did  Mr.  Hoyt.  His  scholarship 
was  of  the  most  complete  type.  His  natural  abili- 
ties were  of  a  very  high  order.  The  social  elements 
Vv^ere  delightfully  blended  in  his  temperament  and 
life..  His  esthetic  nature  and  tastes  were  refined 
and  elevated.  He  was  capable  of  long  continued 
and  persistent  application.  His  mind  was  forecast- 
ful,  and  he  did  not  quickly  change  plans  once 
formed.  He  held  tenaciously  to  central  pnnciples, 
and  ever  kept  in  view  ultimate  ends.  Hopeful  and 
optimistic,  he  was  not  visionary  and  impracticable. 
He  could  bear  sacrifice  and  deprivation  in  the  pres- 
ent for  the  sake  of  the  future.  He  had  ample  sup- 
port in  his  best  nature  and  work  in  the  nature  and 
work  of  Mrs.  Hoyt  who  braced  his  armor  as  he 
went  forth  into  the  public  responsibilities  that  ful- 
ly measured  all  the  lengths  and  breadths  of  his 
powers  and  culture.  His  subsequent  career  in 
other  fields  of  church  work  fully  vindica^^ed  the 
estimate  his  friends — he  had  no  enemies — put  upon 
his  value  to  the  formative  interests  he  served  in 
Oregon  through  the  eventful  and  struggling  de- 


EDUCATIONAL. 


439 


I  • 


cade  from  1850  to  i860,  and  l)ut  intensifies  to-dav 
the  regrets  of  that  long  past  day  when  he  was  re- 
moved from  their  care  and  gnidance.  And,  in  clos- 
ing this  chaj  ter  of  history  relating  to  one  of  the 
most  vital  inverests,  if  not  the  most  vital  interest, 
of  Methodism  in  the  Northwest,  we  deem  it  proper 
to  give  the  following  from  Mr.  Hoyt's  own  pen 
written  but  a  few  weeks  ago,  and  in  view  of  such 
use  of  it  as  we  should  see  fit  to  make  in  this  work. 
It  is  valuable  for  appreciative  historic  statements, 
and  for  the  deep  interest  '•'.  manifests  in  the  future 
of  the  educational  work  of  the  coast.  After  speak- 
ing of  the  constant  difficulties  attendant  on  the 
procuring  of  suitable  teachers  for  the  school,  he 
savs: — 


"Some  of  the  very  competent  teachers  who.;e 
association  with  us  was  very  helpful  were  Mrs. 
Thurston,  widow  of  the  delegate  Thurston,  and 
afterwards  the  wife  of  Gen.  William  H.  Odell,  a 
very  noble  and  accomplished  woman,  and  a 
very  successful  teacher;  Miss  Mary  Leslie,  af- 
terwards Mrs.  Jones;  Rev.  Isaac  Dillon.  Mi.is 
Plamondon,  afterwards  Mrs.  Dillon;  and  later 
(i859-T)o)  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilbur,  nephew  and 
niece  of  Rev.  James  H.  Wilbur;  and  in  1859- 
'60.  Mr.  T.  M.  Gatch.  afterwards  the  president,  and 
the  only  gentleman  who  was  a  classical  scholar, 
of  fine  tastes  and  adequate  attainments,  who  as- 
sisted me.  From  time  to  time,  sometimes  for  one 
01   more'  years  continuously.  Mrs.  Hoyt  gave  me 


440 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY 


i  : 


her  assistance.  When  other  help  failed,  she  always 
came  to  the  rescue.  , 

The  Board  of  Trustees  . ;  the  Oregon  Institute, 
•and  later  the  Willamette  University,  were  excel- 
lent men,  sincere  and  ardent  friends  of  the  institu- 
tion, and  giving  to  its  affairs  their  best  judgment, 
their  personal  influence,  and  much  of  their  valuable 
time.  Those  who,  owing  to  their  residence  in  or 
near  Salem,  were  usually  present  at  the  metings  of 
the  Board  were  Revs.  A.  F.  Waller,  Wm.  Roberts, 
David  Leslie.  J.  L.  Parrish,  Gustavus  Hines,  F.  S. 
Hoyt,  and  Messrs.  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Willson,  L.  F. 
Grover.  afterwards  senator  and  governor,  J.  5. 
Smith,  afterwards  representative  in  Congress,  and 
J.  H.  Moores. 

Owino-  to  the  fact  that  Rev.  A.  F.  Waller  re- 
sided  at  Salem,  and  was  greatly  interested  in  the 
])rosperity  and  development  of  the  Institute,  he 
was  at  an  early  period  appointed  financial  agent. 
Under  his  direction  some  important  improvements 
were  made  in  the  interior  of  the  Institute  building. 
He  also,  after  ample  consultation  and  due  authori- 
zation by  the  Trustees,  carried  forward  energeti- 
cally ancl  patiently  the  plan  of  raising  a  moderate 
endowment  for  the  Willamette  University,  the  suc- 
cesor  of  the  Institute.  That  fund  as  represented 
by  good  notes,  signed  by  responsible  parties,  bear- 
ing lo  per  cent,  interest,  payable  annually  until 
maturity,  amounted  to  nearly  $20,000  at  the  time 
my  connection  with  the  University  ceased  in  1861. 
It  was  solemnly  agreed  among  us  when  the  plan 
was  entered  upon,  and  the  agreement  was  under- 
stood to  be  a  pledge  from  which  there  was  to  be 
no  departure,  that  the  moneys  thus  raised  should 
remain  inviolate  as  a  permanent  fund,  the  interest 
of  which,  solely,  should  be  used  to  meet  deficien- 
cies, (in  the  income  from  tuition,)  for  the  payment 


I'll 


e  always 

nstitute, 
e  excel- 
;  institu- 
dgnient, 
valuable 
ice  in  or 
;tings  of 
Roberts, 
es,  F.  S. 
n,  L.  F. 
)r.  J.  S. 
ress,  and 

'^aller  re- 
;d  in  the 
itute,  he 
al  agent. 
Dvements 
building. 

authori- 
energeti- 
moderate 
,  the  suc- 
3resented 
ies,  bear- 
ally   until 

the  time 
1  in  t86i. 

the  plan 
as  under- 
vas  to  be 
sd  should 
e  interest 
'  deficien- 

payment 


■5 


It 


i 


il 


ii 


■  '1 

^iW| 

1 

It 

III  1* 

F.   S.   IIOYT,    D.I). 
I'Mrst    Prt'sidciit    of    tlic    Willniiicttc    Tiiivcrsit  v. 


EDUCATIONAL. 


ur 


of  teachers.    And  it  was  a  sad  day  when  that  agree- 
ment was  departed  from. 

The  educational  plan  which  was  adopted  by  com- 
mon consent  among  the  leaders  in  church  and  edu- 
cational movements  between  '50  and  '61,  contem- 
plated the  establishment  in  the  entire  Northwest 
of  one  University  with  academies  or  seminaries  for 
local  advantage  and  for  preparatory  schools,  at 
such  places  as  here  and  there  through  the  whole 
territory  could  supply  considerable  local  patronage 
— enough  to  ensure  their  support  and  permanency. 
Several  academies  sprang  up  under  this  general 
plan.  In  that  earlier  day  Portland  was  a  thriving, 
promising  village,  but  no  one  had  any  conception 
of  its  subsequent  growth  and  relative  importance. 
The  Oregon  Institute  and  its  successor,  the  Wil- 
lamette University,  being  the  first  school  estab- 
lished, and  being  located,  moreover,  at  the  then 
central  point,  and  at  the  proposed  capital,  was  nat- 
urally thought  of  as  the  one  to  be  built  up  and  de- 
veloped into  the  hoped-for  University. 

Had  1  the  chance  to  address  the  entire  ministr\- 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  in  the  Northwest,  and  all  the 
staunch  laymen  of  the  church,  I  would  say:  Meet 
and  consult  freely  and  fully.  Lay  aside  all  local 
considerations.  Determine  to  the  best  of  yoar 
ability  the  best  location  for  one  general  school — 
one  great  university,  which  may  grow  on  and  on 
for  centuries,  and  supply  every  need  of  the  North- 
west. As  things  seem  and  as  they  are  likely  to  be 
for  a  long  series  of  years,  there  are  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  places  in  that  vast  region  which  by  local  pat- 
ronage aided  by  the  surrounding  country,  could 
support  an  institution  as  an  academy  or  seminary, 
but  one  university;  one  large,  growing  university; 
having  general  support,  will  do  a  hundered  fold 


|-i*r 


m^rw 


^hi 


442 


MISSIONAR ) '  H/S  TOR } " 


*i 


f! 


more  for  tlie  cause  of  education  than  twenty  weak, 
strugglinj^.  narrow  collej^es  can  do. 

We  hope  tliat  those  who  lahor  there  now  will 
be  wise,  ardent  and  consecrated,  and  with  hearts 
full  of  faith  and  heroism,  and  with  a  jirophetic  eye 
that  sees  the  possible  grandeur  and  magnificence 
of  the  Northwest  as  it  is  yet  to  be,  will  be  one  in 
heart,  and  untiring  in  effort,  to  build  up  the  cause 
of  Christ,  and  to  make  and  execute  wise,  broad 
and  enduring  plans  in  the  department  of  educa- 
tion." 

Great  as  were  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the 
Oregon  Institute,  it  was  not  long  before  the  school 
had  so  advanced  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Hoyt 
and  his  accomplished  and  faithful  assistants  that  it 
was  evident  that  the  school  should  have  an  en- 
larged   scope,    and   be    prepared    to    conduct    the 
students    applying    for    it    not    only    through    an 
academic  but  a  college  training.     So  the   Board 
of   Trustees   appointed   a    committee   to   procure 
from  the  legislative  assembly  of  1853  a  charter  for 
the  "Oregon   Institute  and    University."     Subse- 
quently the  name  of  the  institution  was  changed, 
and  an  act  incorporating  the  "Willamette  Univer- 
sity" was  passed  by  the  legislature  and  accepted 
by  the  Board,  and  the, school  was  organized  under 
that  name,  with  Mr.  Hoyt  as  president,  yet  having 
appended  to  it  a  primary  and  an  intermediate  or 
academic  department,  all  under  his  direction.    The 


EDUCATIONAL. 


443 


I 


first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  under  the 
University  charter  was  held  March  ist,  1854. 

In  some  respects  che  enlargement  of  the  scope 
of  the  work  of  the  University  added  to  rather  than 
diminished  its  emharrassment.  It  rendered  a  large 
and  more  expensive  faculty  needful  without  in- 
creasing its  means  of  sustaining  them.  This,  in- 
deed, was  foreseen,  and  every  effort  was  inade  to 
provide  for  this  contingency,  but  such  was  yet  the 
smallness  of  the  population  of  the  country  that  no 
very  great  progress  could  he  made  in  that  direc- 
tion. In  1853  the  white  population  in  all  Oregon 
did  not  exceed  25,000  souls,  and  only  about  iialf  of 
these  were  in  any  sense  available  as  a  constituency 
of  the  University.  These  were  mostly  poor  and 
had  just  arrived  in  the  country  from  a  journey  that 
had  swallowed  up  whatever  resources  they  had 
when  they  started  from  the  old  states.  This  condi- 
tion of  things  left  the  support  of  the  University  al- 
most entirely  on  the  hands  of  those  who  from  the 
first  had  been  the  supporters  of  the  Oregon  Insti- 
tute. These  were  largely  the  people  who  had  been 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Mission  from  1834 
to  1852,  together  with  those  ministers  and  their 
families  who  had  been  transferred  to  the  Orego\i 
Conference  after  its  organization  in  1852. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  first  session 


XL 

\ 

\ 


444 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


I 


of  tlie  Oregon  Annual  Conference  Mr.  Wilbur  was 
appointed  to  the  cliarjj^e  (if  Southern  Oregon. 
Among  tlie  tirst  things  that  he  undertook  there 
was  the  establishment  of  an  academy  at  a  central 
point  in  the  yet  almost  entirely  unsettled  Umpqua 
Valley.  This  school  was  for  a  time  quite  success- 
ful, and  for  a  number  of  years  was  the  leading  in- 
stitution of  learning  in  Southern  Oregon.  Ft  had 
a  list  of  able  and  popular  teachers,  among  whom 
was  Rev.  T.  F.  Royal  and  his  wife,  and  Prof.  F.  H. 
Grubbs  and  his  wife,  the  daughter  of  Jason  Lee. 
but  as  the  population  of  that  section  increased, 
other  points  proved  more  central,  and  the  school 
ceased  to  exist.  It  bore  the  name  of  its  founder. 
Wilbur,  and  it  is  likely  did  as  much  to  form  the 
intellectual  character  of  the  youth  of  Southern 
Oregon  as  any  school  ever  sustained  in  that  par- 
ticular region  of  country. 

Probably  no  community  so  small  ever  undertook 
to  build  up  and  sustain  such  an  educational  system 
as  the  Methodist  Mission  at  first,  and  the  Oregon 
Annual  Conference  afterwards,  and  succeeded  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  period  covered  by  this 
history.  When  that  period  closed  the  pre- 
paratory department  of  the  Willamette  Uni- 
versity was  in  successful  operation,  as  was 
the    Portland    Academv    and    Female    Seminary. 


HDUCATIONAI. 


m 


iiiuler  the  administration  ot  ''''v.  C.  S.  Kin^s- 
ley,  and  also  the  UmiKiua  Academy,  under  Rev.  '!'. 
F.  Royal,  which  had  close' i  its  second  year  of  suc- 
cessful work.  And  in  connection  with  their  pro-i- 
perity  as  schools  a  large  nuniocr  of  their  students 
had  been  converted;  a  number  of  whom  soon  i)e- 
came  active  and  successful  in  various  fields  of  edu- 
cational or  evangelical  work.  And  at  that  time  the 
committee  on  church  property  in  the  Annual  Con- 
ference reported  that  on  all  the  schools  there  was 
an  aggregate  indebtedness  of  but  $443.  Hetter 
work,  truer  work,  was  never  done  in  this  depart- 
ment of  Christian  enterprise  than  was  done  by 
these  Fathers  of  Oregon  Methodism. 


ill 


XXIV. 


AMERICAN   BOARD  MISSIONS. 


THE  "American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions"  was  organized  in  1810, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Congregational  Churches 
of  New  England.  The  impulse  that  led  to  its  or- 
ganization was  the  resolve  of  Mr.  Adoniram  Jud- 
son  and  four  other  young  .nen  in  attendance  upon 
the  Andover  Theological  Seminary  to  devote  them- 
selves to  the  missionary  work  in  Asia.  When  the 
"Macedonian  cry"  from  the  western  wilds  awaken- 
ed the  whole  church  in  America  to  the  i?eeds  of  the 
Indian  tribes  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the 
attention  of  the  Board  was  called  to  that  field,  but 
no  active  measures  were  taken  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  mission  there  until  1834,  when  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  resolved  to  establish  a  mission 
in  that  region,  and  invited  the  American  Board  to 
take  charge  of  it.  Instead  of  proceeding  h^  once 
to  the  establishment  of  a  mission,  as  did  the  Meth- 
odist Board,  it  resolved  to  appoint  a  commission  to 
explore  the  country,  before  deciding  whether  it 
would  enter  it  as  a  missionary  field  or  not.  It  ac- 
cordingly appointed  Rev.  Samuel  Parker,  of  Ithi- 


i 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        447 

ca,  New  York;  Rev.  J.  Dunbar  and  Mr.  S.  Allis, 
to  undertake  that  work.  Somewhat  late  in  the 
spring  of  1834  these  gentlemen  proceeded  westward 
as  far  as  St.  Louis,  intending  to  accompany  the  an- 
nual caravan  of  the  American  Fur  Company  as  far 
as  the  Rocky  Mountains,  but  finding  that  it  was  al- 
ready some  weeks  on  its  way,  their  purpose  was 
given  up  for  that  year,  and  Mr.  Parker  returned 
to  his  home  in  Ithica,  while  Messrs.  Dunbar  and 
Allis  engaged  in  missionary  work  among  the  Paw- 
nees. But  with  this  failure  the  purpose  was  only 
deferred,  not  abandoned.  In  the  following  spring. 
1835,  Mr.  Parker,  having  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman  as- 
sociated with  him.  returned  to  St.  Louis,  and  put- 
ting themselves  under  the  protection  of  the 
American  Fur  Company's  caravan,  they  proceeded 
as  far  west  as  Green  River,  about  a  hundred  miles 
west  of  the  summit  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where 
the  fur  traders  and  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  moun- 
tains met  for  Rendezvous  that  year.  Here  they 
held  consultations  with  the  traders  and  the  Indians 
and  from  the  facts  and  opinions  communicated  to 
them,  decided  that  a  mission  should  be  established 
somewhere  on  the  Pacific  slope.  It  was  agreed, 
therefore,  that  the  two  should  separate;  Mr.  Par- 
ker continuing  his  journey  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
Dr.  Whitman  returning  to  the  east  and  organiz- 


nn 


iff 


448 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


ing  a  missionary  company  to  enter  the  field  the  fol- 
lowing year. 

Mr,  Parker's  journey  was  continued  in  company 
with  the  Nez  Perce  Indians.  In  the  autumn  he 
reached  Vancouver,  where  he  remained  during  the 
winter.  He  visited  the  Methodist  ^P  mission  in  the 
Willamette,  an  account  of  which  visit  is  given  in 
the  history  of  that  Mission,  He  occupied  his  time 
usefully  at  Vancouver  in  preaching  to  the  people 
of  the  post,  and  won  their  kindest  consideration. 
The  summer  of  1836  he  spent  in  a  long  tour  in 
the  interior,  visiting  the  posts  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  taking  careful  and  intelligent  obser- 
vations of  the  Indian  tribes,  as  well  as  giving  a 
somewhat  special  study  to  the  geological  forma- 
tion of  the  different  regions  that  he  visited.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  summer  he  returned  to  Vancou- 
ver and  took  pas.sage  in  a  vessel  of  the  Company 
for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  thence  by  the  way 
of  Cape  Horn  for  Boston,  and  his  home  in  New 
York;  reaching  the  States  in  1837.  He  published 
an  interesting,  and,  at  the  time,  valuable  volume 
relating  to  his  journey,  but  his  long  and  expensive 
pilgrimage  had  no  appreciable  effect  on  the  ques- 
tion of  missions  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

While  Mr,  Parker  was  thus  occupying  his  time 
in  Oregon,  Dr.  Whitman  had  returned  to  the  east 


mr 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS. 


449 


and  entered  with  zeal  on  the  work  of  organizing  a 
missionary  company  for  the  region  into  whicii  Mr. 
Parker  had  disappeared.  Early  in  1836  the  com- 
pany was  constituted  by  the  addition  of  Rev.  H.  H. 
Spalding  and  wife;  Dr.  Whitman  having  married 
Miss  Narcissa  Prentiss,  and  Mr.  W.  H.  Gray,  a 
single  man,  who  had  charge  of  the  secular  depart- 
ment of  the  mission. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spalding  had  alread\  been  desig- 
nated for  the  mission  among  the  Osages.  and  they 
were  on  their  way  thither  when  Dr.  Whitman  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  a  change  in  their  assignment, 
and  they  were  appointed  to  Oregon.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  under  which  the  missionary  com- 
pany should  journey  with  the  caravan  of  the  Amer- 
ican Fur  Company  across  the  mountains,  but  when 
they  arrived  at  Council  Bluffs,  on  the  Missouri 
River,  they  found  that  the  Fur  Company  was  al- 
ready a  week  on  tlie  journey.  They  were  now  on 
the  extreqie  western  limit  of  civilized  settlement, 
and  it  is  not  surprising  that  there  was  debate 
among  them  whether  they  should  retrace  their 
steps  or  move  out  into  the  unknown  region  before 
tiiem  alone,  trusting  in  God's  good  guidance  and 
in  their  own  intelligent  and  persevering  efforts  to 
carry  them  safely  to  their  destination.  Certainly 
the  experience  of  Dr.  Whitman  the  year  before, 


i 


% 


450 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


itiMij 


while  on  his  journey  of  exploration,  stood  them  in 
good  stead  here,  and  under  that  inspiration  they 
decicfed  to  move  forward  as  expeditiously  as  pos- 
sible, believing  that,  with  their  smaller  number 
and  lighter  outfit  they  could  overtake  the  Fur 
Company's  convoy  in  a  short  time.  The  company 
here  consisted  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Spalding,  Mr.  Gray  and  two  Indian  boys  who 
had  accompanied  Dr.  Whitman  to  the  east  from 
the  "Rendezvous"  the  preceeding  summer,  and 
some  temporary  assistance  procured  from  the  Paw- 
nee Mission  on  the  Missouri.  The  venture,  though 
a  lonely  one.  was  not  specially  dang^^rous,  as  they 
were  traveling  through  friendly  tribes  and  along 
a  plain  trail,  or  wagon  road,  leading  up  ihe  level 
and  beautiful  valley  of  the  Platte  River  on  the 
north  side,  and  they  were  yet  far  east  of  the  coun- 
try where  they  might  need  the  presence  of  a  large 
company  to  secure  safe  passage  through  the  more 
predatory  tribes.  Their  route  followed  the  present 
line  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  from  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Missouri,  where  Omaha  now  is,  to  the 
North  Platte,  and  thence  up  the  North  Platte  on 
its  north  side  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  by  the  way 
its  north  fork,  called  the  Sweetwater. 

The  missionary  company  overtook  the  Fur  Com- 
])any  at  Loup  Fork,  and  from  that  point  traveled 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        451 


with  it  to  the  Rendezvous  on  Green  River.  There 
v^'ere  many  interesting  and  romantic  and  even 
laughable  eqisodes  connected  with  the  journey, 
but  our  work  has  more  to  do  with  ultimate  results 
than  with  incidents  of  travel,  however  romjuitic 
and  interesting,  we  must  relegate  these  to  the 
writers  of  romance;  not  because  we  do  not  appre- 
ciate them,  but  because  they  do  not  come  within 
the  scope  of  our  work.  Through  all  the  incidents 
and  dif^culties  the  missionary  party  made  their  way 
safely,  and  on  the  first  day  of  September  reached 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post  at  Walla  Walla, 
where  they  were  hospitably  received  and  generous- 
ly entertained.  Mr.  Jason  Lee  and  his  company  of 
missionaries  had  reached  the  same  point  on  the 
first  day  of  September,  1834,  exactly  two  years  be- 
fore the  arrival  of  Dr.  Whitman  and  his  associates, 
though  Mr.  Lee's  party  had  been  nine  days  longer 
from  the  Missouri  River  than  had  Dr.  Whitman's. 
After  remaining  at  Walla  Walla  a  few  days  the  en- 
tire party  proceeded  down  the  Columbia  River  to 
Vancouver,  the  headquarters  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  the  residence  of  Dr.  McLoughlin, 
its  controlling  spirit  in  the  Northwest. 

Some  time  was  spent  at  Vancouver  in  consulta- 
tion with  Dr.  McLoughlin  and  other  gentlemen 
of  the  company  in  regard  to  the  establishment  of 


i  ! 


•  V ! 
Wl     It 


i 


II 


I-' 


P     H 


i 


.5^  *  i  ■ 


4S^ 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


their  stations,  and  especially  as  to  their  location. 
They  were  now  within  a  short  distance  of  the  mis- 
sion of  Mr.  Lee,  who  had  already  had  the  experi- 
ence of  two  years  in  the  field,  and  one  rather  in- 
stinctively wonders  that  they  did  not  visit  his  mis- 
sion and  avail  themselves  of  the  benefit  of  his  ob- 
servations and  experiences  in    the  dif^cult   work 
that  they  were  entering  upon.     But  they  did  not, 
and  made  their  selection  of  locations  almost  solely 
on  the  advice  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.     The  writer  believes  that  advice 
Was  good,  and  sees  no  reason  to  believe  that  it  was 
given  by  Dr.  McLoughlin  with  any  sinister  pur- 
pose either  against  the  missions  or  in  favor  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company.    The  advice  was  general, 
and  only  that  their  missions  should  be  located  east 
of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  within  the  reach  of 
the   strong  tribes   that   inhabited   that   region    of 
country.     Mr.  Lee  had  occupied  the  center  of  the 
Willamette  Valley,  and  it  was  but  reasonable  that 
these  missionaries  would  occupy  the  great  unoccu- 
pied  field   now   known   as  the   "Inland   Empire." 
Some  writers  have  believed,  or  affected  to  believe, 
that  tl^e  advice  of  Dr.  McLoughlin  both  to  Mr.  Lee 
in   1834,  and  to  the  missionaries  of  the  American 
JJoard  in    1836.   was  for  the  purpose  of  pushing 
them  one  side,  and  putting  them  out  of  the  way  of 


Irfl  « 


:ation. 
le  mis- 
2xperi- 
her  in- 
lis  mis- 
his  ob- 
t   work 
lid  not, 
t  solely 
udson's 
advice 
,t  it  was 
:er  pur- 
r  of  the 
general, 
ted  east 
reach  of 
gion    of 
r  of  the 
ble  that 
unoccu- 
miiire." 
l)elieve, 
Mr.  T.ee 
merican 
])ushing- 
wav  of 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        433 

the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  so  that  they  could 
not  interfere  with  its  purposes,  nor  put  any  ob- 
stacle    in  the  way  of  the  ultimate  British  occu- 
pancy of  Oregon.     Such  writers  give  little  credit 
to  the  astuteness  of  Dr.  McLoughlin,  or  to  the  in- 
telligence and  independence  of  the  missionaries  of 
the  American  Board.     Had  such  been  the  purpose 
of  Dr.  McLoughlin,  or  had  he  been  a  man  capable 
of  advising  a  course  of  action  so  adverse  to  the 
purposes  for  which  his  guests  were  in  the  country, 
he  certainly  would  not  have  advised  them  to  estab- 
lish their  work  in  the  very  centers  of  the  great  re- 
gion open   to  their  choice.     This  he  did.   as  we 
believe,  honestly  and  honorably.     Nor  is  it  likely 
that  either  he  or  they,  at  the  time,  fully  compre- 
hended the  providential  import  of  the  establish- 
ment of  these  American  missions  in  Oregon. 

When  the  missionaries  had  concluded  their  in- 
vestigations they  resolved  to  establish  two  mis- 
sions, one  among  the  Cayuses  not  far  from  Fon 
Walla  Walla,  and  one  on  the  Clearwater  River 
among  the  Nez  Perces;  the  two  strongest  tribes 
of  the  interior.  This  determined  upon,  the  two 
ladies.  Mrs.  Whitman  and  Mrs.  Spalding,  were  left 
at  Vancouver,  and  Dr.  Whitman,  Mr.  Spalding 
and  Mr.  Gray  proceeded  up  the  Columbia  river 
again  for  the  erection  of  houses  and  the  o])ening 


'  !| 


454 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  V. 


w 

M 

' 

' 

of  their  work.  Dr.  Whitman's  Mission  was  located 
at  Waiiletpu  on  the  Walla  Walla  River,  and  Mr. 
Spalding's  at  Lapwai  on  the  Clea'*  Water.  Before 
winter  the  work  of  erecting  hour  was  so  far  ad- 
vanced that  they  returned  to  Vancouver  and  took 
their  wives  with  them  into  the  field  which  they 
had  thus  set  up  a  claim  to  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
Mr.  Spalding  began  his  work  among  the  Ncz 
Perces  the  last  of  November,  and  Dr.  Whitman 
his  among  the  Cayuses  early  in  December  183;". 
Their  work  opened  auspiciously  and  the  Indians 
seemed  to  be  so  desirous  of  receiving  religious  in- 
struction that  by  the  next  spring  the  mission  de- 
termined to  send  Mr.  Gray  to  the  East  to  obtain 
more  teachers  for  the  wide  work  which  seemed  to 
be  opening.  He  took  with  him  four  Nez  Perce 
Indians,  and  a  large  number  of  horses  and  other 
property,  from  the  sale  of  which  he  expected  to 
provide  means  to  meet  the  expense  of  the  rein- 
forcement sought.  Three  of  the  Indians  returned 
from  the  Rendezvous.  When  the  party  was  on 
the  Platte  River  near  "/\sh  Hollow,"  it  was  at- 
tacked by  a  band  of  Sioux  and  the  Nez  Perce 
was  killed,  the  horses  and  property  all  caiv 
tured,Mr.  Gray  alone  escaping  with  his  life.  This 
unfortunate  issue  of  his  expedition  was  an  occasion 
of  much  embarrassment  to  the  mission  subsequent- 


.U-. 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        455 

ly,  and  the  loss  of  the  Nez  Perces  while  under  the 
direction  and  care  of  Mr.  (iray,  caused  him,  in  sub- 
sequent years,  much  personal  annoyance,  and  seri- 
ously injured  his  usefulness  among  the  Indians. 
This  was  not  owing  to  any  special  blame  that  could 
be  laid  to  Mr.  Gray,  but  to  the  peculiar  idiosyn- 
cracies  of  the  Indian  mind  and  character. 

While  in  the  States  Mr.  Gray's  representations 
were  such  that  the  American  Board  decided  to 
appoint  two  additional  teachers  to  theOregon  Mis- 
sion. Rev.  E.  Walker  and  Rev.  C.  Eells  and  their 
wives  were  under  assignment  to  the  Zulus  of  south- 
eastern Africa.  The  Board  of  Missions  changed 
their  destination  to  Oregon,  and  also  associated 
with  them  Rev.  A.  B.  Smith.  Mr.  Gray,  who  had 
married  since  his  return  to  the  States,  remained  in 
the  employ  of  the  Board,  and,  with  his  wife,  ac- 
companied them  as  guide  and  secular  agent  on 
their  journey.  The  company  thus  constituted  left 
New  England  in  March,  1838,  and  traveling  by  the 
same  route  as  those  who  had  preceded  it,  and  with 
the  usual  incidents  of  the  journey,  reached  Wall.i 
Walla  on  the  29th  day  of  August. 

()n  the  arrival  of  this  company  Mr.  Gray  was 
associated  with  Mr.  Spaulding  at  Lapwai,  and  Mr. 
Smith  with  Dr.  Whitman  at  Waiiletpu,  but  the 
next  year  he  opened  a  new  mission  at   Kamiah, 


.1 


.'If 


456 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  Y. 


%  v 


among  the  Nez  Perces.  In  the  spring  of  1839 
Messrs.  Walker  and  Eells  established  a  new  station 
at  Tshimakain  among  the  Spokanes,  six  miles 
north  of  the  Spokane  River.  In  writing  of  these 
missions  subsequently,  Rev.  M.  Eells,  a  son  ox  Rev. 
C.  Eells,  of  the  mission  at  Tshimakain,  says: — 

''The  first  few  years  01  the  mission  were  quite 
encouraging.  Owing  partly  to  the  novelty,  the 
Indians  seemed  very  anxious  to  labor,  to  learn  at 
school,  and  to  receive  religious  instruction.  In 
1837,  as  soon  as  a  school  was  opened  at  Lapwai, 
Mr.  Spaulding  wrote  that  a  hundred,  both  old  and 
young,  were  in  attendance.  As  soon  as  one  had 
learned  something  more  than  the  others,  they 
would  gather  around  him  while  he  would  be  their 
teacher.  In  1839,  150  children  and  as  many  more 
adults  were  in  school.  Similar  interest  was  shown 
in  religious  instruction.  They  sometimes  spent 
whole  nights  in  repeating  over  and  over  what  they 
had  but  partly  learned  at  a  religious  service.  Two 
years  later  from  1,000  to  2,000  gathered  for  a  relig- 
ious service.  Then  2,000  made  a  public  confession 
of  sin,  and  promised  to  serve  God.  Many  of  them 
evidently  did  so  with  imperfect  ideas  of  what  they 
were  doing,  yet  not  a  few  were  believed  to  give 
evidence  of  conversion. 

Among  the  Cayvises,  also,  more  were  ready  to 
attend  the  school  than  the  mission  family  could 
sup])ly  with  books,  or  had  ability  to  teach.  Morn- 
ing and  evening  worship  was  maintained  in  all  the 
principal  lodges,  and  a  confession  of  sin  was  made 
somewhat  similar  to  that  among  the  Nez  Perces. 
For  a  time  when  Dr.  Whitman  or  Mr.  Spalding 
traveled  through  the  country  they  were  followed 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS. 


457 


by  hundreds  of  Indians  eager  to  see  them  and  hear 
Bible  truths  at  night.  They  had  a  strong  desire 
for  hoes  and  other  agricultural  implements,  and 
were  willing  to  part  with  any  property  they  had  'U 
order  to  obtain  them,  even  bringing'  their  rifles  to 
be  manufactured  into  such  articles.  From  80  10 
100  families  planted  fields  near  Mr.  Spalding's, 
and  many  near  Dr.  Whitman  raised  enough  pro- 
visions for  a  comfortable  supply  for  their  families. 

In  1838  Mr.  Spauling  reported  tlu;t  his  field  pro- 
duced 2.000  bushels  of  potatoes,  besides  wheat  and 
other  articles. 

In  1841  a  saw  and  grist  mill  were  erected  among 
the  Nez  Perces,  a  grist  mill  among  the  Cayuses. 

In  1837  a  church  was  organized,  and  in  Septem- 
ber, 1838,  the  first  Indian  was  received  into  it, 
though  in  July  previous  two  Indian  girls,  who  af- 
terwards died  in  Mr.  Sijalding's  fami^ v  gave  evi- 
dence of  conversion,  and  were  baptized  as  the  first- 
fruits  of  the  work.  In  November,  1839,  Joseph 
and  Timothy,  Nez  Perce  Indians,  were  admitted  to 
the  church.  In  1840  Mr.  Eells  reported  a  school 
of  eighty  scholars. 

In  1839  the  mission  received  a  donation  from 
Rev.  H.  Bingham's  church  at  Honolulu,  Sandwich 
Islands,  of  a  small  printing  press,  with  types,  fur- 
niture, paper,  and  other  things  of  the  value  of 
$450.  Mr.  E.  O.  Hall,  a  printer  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  came  with  the  press,  and  the  first  book 
printed  west  of  the  Rocky  ^tountains,  so  far  as 
known,  was  issued  that  fall  in  the  Nez  Perce  lan- 
guage, and  one  in  that  of  the  Spokane  followed. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  remained  until  the  spring  of 
1840,  when  they  returned  to  the  Islands." 

This  extract  from  Mr.  Eells'  story  of  these  mis- 
sions shows  that  externallv,  at  least,  the  work  of 


'1^ 


!l|i^ 


..    L 


45s 


MISSION  A  R ) '  HIS  TOR ) ' 


the  missionaries  was  producing  ahundant  fruit  in 
the  chanjred  lives  and  purposes  of  the  Indians. 
The  missionaries  tlieniselves  were  very  f^reatly  en- 
couraged  and  these  missions  were  everywhere  re- 
ported of  the  most  successful  and  promising  char- 
acter. This  was  espeoiall\  true  of  that  of  Mr. 
Spalding  at  Lapwai.  where  Mrs.  Spalding  seem- 
ed to  exert  a  controling  charm  over  the  minds  of 
the  Indians,  and  where  the  superior  intelligence 
and  character  01  the  Nez  Perces  appeared  a  most 
promising  field  for  the  ripening  of  the  harvest  of 
truth.  But  it  was  not  long  before  the  natural  un- 
rest of  the  Indian  character  began  to  assert  itself 
again.  The  novelty  of  the  new  life  wore  of¥,  and 
the  habits  of  the  old  life  reasserted  themselves. 
The  Indians  were  divided.  Indeed  the  majority 
had  never  yielded  their  old  ways  even  temporarily. 
and  a  strong  opposition  to  the  missionaries  and 
their  work  soon  developed  itself,  led  by  some  of  the 
Spokane  and  Cayuse  chiefs,  and  sympathized  and 
abetted  by  many  among  the  Nez  Perces.  The  Cay- 
uses  particularly  grew  insolent  and  abusive,  de- 
stroyed much  property  belonging  to  the  mission  of 
Dr.  Whitman,  personally  mistreated  Mr.  Gray  and 
Dr.  Whitman,  and  in  many  ways  evinced  such  hos- 
tility to  their  work  and  such  distaste  at  their  pres- 
ence in  the  country  that,  but  for  the  active  inter- 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS. 


459 


fruit  ill 

tuliatis. 

itlv  en- 

lere  re- 

ig  char- 
of  Mr. 

T  seem- 

ninds  of 

;lli^ence 
a  most 

irvest  of 

;ural  un- 

ert  itself 
off,  and 

nnselves. 
majority 

iporarily. 

iries  and 
ne  of  the 
lized  and 
The  Cay- 
sive,   de- 
nission  of 
Gray  and 
such  hos- 
leir  pres- 
ive  inter- 


ference of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  they  would 
have  been  driven  out  of  the  country,  if,  indeed, 
tliey  had  not  been  killed.  In  a  few  months  the 
prospcts  of  the  missions  were  so  clanged  from  the 
promising  conditions  indicated  ant.  become  so  dis- 
couraging that  the  lioard  of  Missions  decided,  in 
February,  1S4J,  to  close  up  he  missions  among 
the  Cayuscs  and  Nez  I'erces,  and  issued  instruc- 
tions for  Messrs.  Spalding  and  (Iray  to  return 
to  the  east,  ai^d  Dr.  Whitman  to  join  the  mission 
at  Tshimakain,  among  the  Spokanes.  For  the 
same  reasons  Rev.  J.  D.  Paris  and  Mr.  W.  H.  Rice 
who  had  been  bent  to  the  mission  by  the  way  of 
Cape  Horn  and  the  Sandwich  Islands,  when  they 
arrived  at  the  Islands  were  induced  to  remain 
there  temporarily,  an  arrangement  that  was  made 
permanent  by  the  Board  at  Boston. 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  fj^r  the  historian  to  ac- 
count for  these  sudden  and  marked  changes  in  the 
apparent  condition  and  prospects  of  the  missionary 

work  among  the  Indians  on  any  basis  consistent 
with  the  general  integrity  and  improvableness  of 
the  Indian  character.  The  same  general  state  of 
facts  are  apparent  in  these  missions  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board  as  were  seen  in  those  of  the  Methodist 

Board  in  the  Willamette,  although  the  external 
conditions  stood  much  in  favor  of  the  missions  of 


f 


4.60 


MISSION AR  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


the  American  Board.  In  the  Willamette,  as  our 
readers  have  seen,  there  was  a  rapid  gathering  of 
white  people  and  a  consequent  thrusting  aside  of 
the  Indian  race.  Here  nothing  of  this  kind  existed. 
There  was  no  white  settlement ;  indeed  no  wdiites 
resident  in  all  this  region  of  country  but  those 
directly  connected  with  the  missionary  stations  of 
the  American  Board;  thirteen  in  all,  six  of  whom 
were  women.  This  was  the  entire  American  pop- 
ulation east  of  the  Methodist  station  at  The  Dalles 
in  1841. 

In  the  Willamette  the  Indian  tribes  seemed  worn 
out.  smitten  with  inuiiedicable  decay,  and  their 
numl)ers  were  diminishing  with  a  rapidity  that  was 
bewildering.  Here  the}-  were  strong;  retaining 
all  the  former  \irility  and  force  that  had  made  the 
Nez  Perces  and  Cayuses  and  Spokanes  and  Yaki- 
mas  the  controlling  tribes  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  So  far  as  these  conditions  were  con- 
cerned these  missioviS  had  every  advantage  over 
those  established  by  Mr.  Lee,  and,  if  any  Indian 
missions  ought  to  haVe  been  able  to  succeed  in  put- 
ting the  germs  of  a  new  life  into  the  character  of 
the  Indian  race,  or  the  lease  of  new  ages  into  their 
history,  these  were  the  missions  and  these  the  peo- 
ple where  it  should  have  been  done.  But  it  was 
not,  and  the  missions,  so  far  ;is  this  large  view  of 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        461 


,  as  our 
ering  of 
aside  of 
existed. 
3  whites 
It  those 
itioiis  of 
3f  whom 
can  pop- 
le  Dalles  • 

led  worn 
nd   their 
that  was 
retaining 
made  the 
nd  Yaki- 
e    Rocky 
vere  con- 
age  over 
ly  Indian 
ed  in  put- 
aracter  of 
into  their 
^  the  peo- 
ut  it  was 
e  view  of 


the  purpose  of  their  establishment  and  the  hopes 
that  were  entertained  by  the  missionaries,  the 
Boards  under  whose  direction  they  labored  and  the 
whole  American  church,  whose  instruments  for  hu- 
man evangelization  both  Boards  and  missionaries 
were,  were  a  sad  and  sorrowful  failure.  Nor  can 
this  result  be  charged  to  the  unfaithfulness  of  the 
missionaries,  nor  to  their  want  of  intelligence  in 
adaptation  of  means  to  ends.  When  such  men  as 
\\'hitnian.  Spalding.  ^Valker  and  Eells.  of  the 
American  Board,  aided  and  encouraged  by  such  in- 
tellectual and  moral  princesses  as  their  wives;  or 
.such  men  as  Lee,  Leslie,  \\'aller.  Hines,  with  then- 
equally  si)lendid  companionship,  failed,  ordinary 
men  may  venture  criticism  of  their  work  but  spar- 
ingly. Certainly  we  shall  hesitate  before  we  pro- 
nounce it  in  an  ultimate  sense  a  failure.  And  this 
the  more  especially  as  those  of  them  who  lived  to 
enter  the  era  that  rapidly  followed  this  time  of  ap- 
j)arent  failure,  led  and  commanded  that  era  in  its 
moral  and  intellectual  work  as  few  other  men  did 
or  could.  'Hie  two  great  leaders,  Lee  and  Whit- 
man, one  by  the  martyrdom  of  eleven  years  of  ex- 
cessixe  toil  and  hardship,  the  other  at  the  end  of 
eleven  years  of  the  same  kind  of  toil  l)y  a  more 
bloody  though  not  more  painful  martyrdom,  were 
not  [permitted  to  enter  that  later  era,  except  by  the 


i    'A 


mm^ 


462 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  Y, 


m\\ 


I 

[ 

■ 

A^^^-t 

spirit  of  their  consecrated  and  illustrious  example 
as  an  ever  present  inspiration  to  the  remaining  toil- 
ers on  the  field  for  which  they  lived  and  died.  Per- 
haps the  only  safe  refuge  of  the  mind  in  such  a  case 
is  in  the  fact  that  we  cannot  entirely  comprehend 
the  "improving  purpose"  of  Providence  which  for- 
ever runs  through  all  chances  and  changes  of  his- 
tory towards  the  best  and  largest  progress  of  the 
whole  humanity,  even  though  the  "golden  corn" 
of  its  ultimate  harvest  is  fed  by  the  bones  and  ashes 
of  consumed  races  and  decayed  peoples. 
.The  decision  of  the  Board  to  break  up  the  mis- 
sions at  Waiiletpu  and  Lapwai  did  not  meet  the  ap- 
proval of  Dr.  Whitman  or  Mr.  Spalding.  These 
missionaries  were  encountering  the  same  troubles 
that  Mr.  Lee  encountered,  arising  out  of  the  im- 
mense distance  between  themselves  and  the  Board 
under  which  they  served,  and  especially  the  great 
time  that  it  took  to  pass  communications  between 
them.  The  Boston  Board,  like  that  at  New  York, 
always  acted  in  the  light — rather  in  the  darkness — 
of  conditions  that  were  almost  ancient  history  be 
tore  they  heard  of  them.  The  report  of  an  hour's 
visit  of  some  chance  traveler,  or,  possibly,  some 
government  official,  who  saw  nothing  excep..  in 
the  distortions  of  a  worldly  causitry,  were  often  per- 
mitted to  sway  opinions  and  determine  actions  in 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS. 


4^3 


ixample 
ing  toil- 
d.  Per- 
h  a  case 
prehend 
lich  for- 
s  of  his- 
;s  of  the 
in  com" 
nd  ashes 

the  mis- 
t  the  ap- 
These 
troubles 
the  im- 
le  Board 
he  <^reat 
between 
iw  York, 
rkness — 
story  be 
in  hour's 
ily,  some 
xcep..  in 
)ften  per- 
ctions  in 


the  Board  that  should  have  been  left  to  the  judg- 
ment and  decision  of  the  truly  noble  and  great  men 
who  had  the  missionary  work  in  charge  on  the  very 
held  where  it  was  to  be  done.  Two  sentences  from 
"Captain  Wilkes"  reports,  one  in  regard  to  the 
mission  of  Mr.  Lee  in  the  Willamette,  and  one  in 
regard  to  that  of  Dr.  Whitman  at  Waiiletpu,  after 
a  visit  of  a  few  hours  to  each,  casting  an  unfavora- 
ble coloring  over  them,  exerted  great,  if  not  con- 
trolling influence  on  the  action  of  both  Boards  in 
deciding  questions  of  vastest  importance  in  regard 
to  the  men  and  their  work.  Perhaps  they  decided 
the  action  which  required  Dr.  Whitman  to  aban- 
<lon  Waiiletpu  and  remove  to  Tshimakain.  True, 
there  were  other  influences  that  had  an  unfavorable 
effect  on  the  internal  condition  of  the  mission  as  a 
whole,  and  hence  on  the  general  results  of  its  work, 
which  should  not  be  passed  by  without  mention  by 
the  historian  who  is  not  only  recording  events,  but 
solving  philosophies  and  explaining  results.  One 
of  these  was  the  want  of  ecclesiastical  congruity 
between  the  members  of  the  mission  and  the  ab- 
sence of  a  responsible  executive  head  in  the  field. 
I'Jev.  Gushing  Eells,  of  the  Tshimakain  station,  thus 
states  the  fact  to  which  we  refer: 

"Six   members   favored   Congregational   church 
polity,   four  were  Presbyterians,  two   Dutch   Re- 


4H 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


formed.  The  Mission  Church  was  Presl)yteriaii  in 
name,  but  practically  Congregational.  The  Ore- 
gon Mission  was  first  formed,  afterwards  the  num- 
ber of  stations  determined.  The  Mission  is  the 
body,  the  stations  the  branches.  According  to 
men  and  means  operations  were  enlarged  or  con- 
tracted ;  number  of  stations  increased  or  diminish- 
ed. It  began  with  two  stations,  which  were  in- 
creased to  four.  The  missions  of  the  American 
Board  were  little  republics.  All  the  important  ar- 
rangements in  regard  to  each  station  are  made  in 
annual  meetings  of  all  the  members  of  the  mission, 
and  determined  by  a  vote  of  the  majority  of  those 
present." 

While  Dr.  Whitman,  by  common  consent,  is  ac- 
corded the  chief  place  in  the  personnel  of  the  mis- 
sions of  the  American  Board,  he  actually  had  no 
more  authority  over  them,  or  even  over  his  own 
mission,  than  any  other  one  of  the  whole  ntunber. 
Everything  was  decided  by  the  "majority  of  those 
present."  There  was  no  chief  officer,  no  superin- 
tendent to  assume  direction  or  exercise  authority. 
To  say  the  least  this  was  not  favorable  to  harmony, 
and  a  want  of  harmony  was  certainly  unfavorable 
to  the  influence  and  success  of  the  missionary  work. 

Pending  oloedience  to  the  instructions  of  the 
Board  of  Missions,  Dr.  Whitman  decided  for  him- 
self that  further  most  strenuous  efforts  should  be 
made  to  satisfy  that  body  that  the  course  it  had  re- 
solved upon  was  unwise  and  should  not  be  carried 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        465 


enan  111 
le  Ore- 
le  num- 
i  is  the 
ling  to 
or  con- 
iminisli- 
\ere  in- 
merican 
tant  ar- 
macle  in 
mission, 
Df  those 


It,  IS  ac- 
the  mis- 
had  no 
his  own 
number, 
of  those 
snperin- 
ithority. 
armony, 
ivorable 
ry  work. 
;  of  the 
for  liim- 
lonld  be 
;  had  re- 
;  carried 


out.  So  fully  was  he  satisfied  of  this  that  he  re- 
solved to  visit  the  east,  and  before  the  Board  pre- 
sent the  case  in  person  as  he  saw  it,  and  ask  that  the 
ord  ♦  be  rescinded.  A  meeting  of  the  mission  was 
called  to  consider  whether  or  not  its  approval  could 
be  given  to  the  proposed  undertaking  of  Dr.  Whit- 
man. It  met  at  Waiiletpu  about  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember, and  all  the  male  members  of  the  mission, 
namely,  Dr.  Whitman  and  Messrs.  Walker,  Eells, 
Spalding  and  Gray,  were  present.  Mr.  Eells,  in 
giving  an  account  of  the  meeting,  says: 

"Mr.  Walker  and  myself  were  decidedly  op- 
posed, and  we  yielded  only  when  it  became  evident 
that  he  would  go,  even  if  he  had  to  become  discon- 
nected with  the  mission  to  do  so." 

L'nder  the  influence  of  this  determination  of  Dr. 
\\'hitman  the  other  gentlemen  withdrew  their  op- 
position, and,  choosing  that  he  should  go  with, 
rather  than  without,  the  sanction  of  the  mission, 
voted  to  ai)prove  of  his  "attempt  to  make  the 
journey."  When  this  action  was  had  Dr.  Whitman 
fixed  on  the  5th  day  of  October  as  the  day  for  start- 
ing, and  began  immediatey  to  make  his  prepara- 
tions. 

.\s  this  journey  of  Dr.  Whitman,  with  its  inci- 
dents, has  been  the  center  about  which  much  his- 
torical discussion,  not  to  say  controversy,  has  been 
made  to  revolve,  it  is  necessary  that  we  give  it  some 


'\\ 


%: 


1  ■. '  i 


1: 


I'l     >  i 


466 


MISSION AR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


careful  and  candid  consideration.  Whatever  there 
may  have  been  of  more  dramatic  incident,  or  of 
personal  hardship  and  peril  in  it,  and  there  was 
much  of  all.  must  needs  be  passed  by,  that  we  may 
follow  the  clear  thread  of  historic  interest  that  is 
easily  tracable  through  all.  A  brief  preliminary 
statement  is  needful. 

All  the  missionaries  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, by  virtue  of  their  civil  and  political  as  well  as 
religious  affinities,  necessarily  sustained  a  double 
relation  to  the  country  in  which  they  had  located. 
They  were  not  only  religious  propagandists,  seek- 
ing the  conversion  of  the  Indians,  but  they  were 
political  propagandists  as  well  by  the  very  force  of 
the  anomalous  political  conditions  of  the  country 
itself.  Oregon  at  that  time  had  no  settled  and  de- 
termined political  status.  The  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  each  asserted  a  claim  to  it,  but  neith- 
er conceded  the  right  of  the  other.  The  result  of 
an  acrimonious  and  long  continued  discussion  w.-^s 
the  adoption  in  t8i8  of  a  treaty  between  the  two 
nations,  providing  for  a  "joint  occupancy"  of  the 
country  for  a  term  of  ten  years,  "without  ])reju(lice 
to  any  claim  which  either  party  might  have  to  any 
part  of  the  country."  There  was  not  much  effort 
by  the  negotiators  of  the  treaty  to  determine 
boundaries    or    ownership,    although    the    British 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        467 


er  there 
t,  or  of 
ere  was 
we  may 
:  that  is 
liminary 

^  Moun- 
s  well  as 
I  double 

located, 
ts.  seek- 
ley  were 

force  of 

country 
1  and  de- 
ates  and 
lit  neith- 

result  of 
^sion  was 

the  two 
r  of  the 
prejudice 
kq  to  any 
jch  effort 
letermine 
t    British 


commissioners  intimated  that  the  Columbia  River 
itself  would  be  the  most  convenient  boundary  that 
could  be  adopted,  and  declared  that  they  would 
not  agree  upon  any  boundary  that  did  not  give 
Great  Britain  the  harbor  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
in  common  with  the  United  States. 

The  joint  occupancy  treaty  expired  by  its  terms 
in   1838,  but,  against  strong  opposition  in  Con- 
gress and  in  the  country,  was  renewed  for  an  in- 
definite  period,   either  party  being  permitted  to 
withdraw  from  it  on  giving  one  year's  notification. 
While  joint  occupancy  was  the  law  of  the  land 
there  was  no  American  occupancy  of  the  country 
in  any  form  until  1834.     Up  to  this  time  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  a  strong  British  corporation, 
and  thoroughly  loyal  to  that  country,  was  its  sole 
possessor.    The  first  party  of  Americans  to  perma- 
nently fix  themselves  in  Oregon  was  Jason  Lee  and 
his  three  coadjutors  of  the  Methodist  Mission  in 
1834.    As  we  have  told  the  story  of  that  company, 
we  need  not  here  recapitulate  it  here.    The  mission 
established   by   that   company  became   the   center 
around  which  all  American   settlement  gathered, 
and  it  logically  stood  as  representing  the  claim  of 
the  United  States  to  Oregon  as  against  that  of 
England.     When  the  American  Board  established 
its  mission  two  years  later,  it  was  so  isolated  from 


■i  ' -I i 


i|iai«  f  ,  I. '  .  I 


468 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


ill  .  f 


the  centers  of  influence,  American  and  British,  that 
its  members  individually  and  the  mission  as  a  body 
could  not  participate  in  any  of  these  mo\'ements 
that  had  origin  or  reference  to  the  rival  parties. 
Its  members,  however,  were  all  thoroughly  loyal 
Americans,  and  so,  in  the  ultimate  estimate  of 
forces  nuist  be  counted  on  that  side  of  the  issues  in- 
volved. The  only  other  missionary  force  in  the 
country  while  these  issues  were  pending  was  the 
Roman  Catholic,  which  established  itself  in  1838. 
The  members  of  this  propaganda  were  all  ardent 
and  zealous  advocates  of  the  pretentions  of  Great 
Britain.  They  were  even  more  imanimous  and 
more  zealous  in  opinions  and  actions  than  were  the 
members  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  them- 
selves on  that  side  of  the  contention.  Not  a  few 
of  the  gentlemen  connected  with  that  company 
had  a  warm  admiration  for  the  institutions  of  the 
United  States,  and  were  also  close  personal  friends 
of  the  American  missionaries,  especially  of  Mr.  Lee 
and  Dr.  Whitman,  whose  bold  and  chivalrous  char- 
acters had  a  charm  for  them  notwithstanding  the 
company  itself  was  strongly  on  the  British  side 
of  the  Oregon  question.  Nothing  else  could  have 
been  expected  of  them,  as  the  decision  of  the  ques- 
tion in  favor  of  England  would  mean  a  continua- 
tion indefinitely  of  the  rights  and  principles  of  that 


^•^•^=1 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS. 


469 


company  as  the  virtual  owners  of  the  Northwest. 
All  these,  and  other  related  (|uestions.  were  excit- 
ing the  small  American  population  of  Oregon  when 
Dr.  Whitman  determined  to  return  to  the  States, 
and  doubtless  added  something  to  the  motives 
that  led  him  to  that  determination,  but  its  first  and 
chief«i*t  motive  was  the  salvation  of  his  mission 
and  that  of  Mr.  Spalding's  from  annihilation. 

In  tracing  the  line  of  events  that  determined 
history  on  this  coast  it  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  autumn  of  1842,  in  which  Dr.  Whitman  began 
his  eastern  journey,  w-as  the  autumn  that  brought 
the  first  real  American  immigration  of  families  into 
Oregon,  outside  of  the  families  that  came  in  asso- 
tion  with  the  work  of  the  missions.  That  emigra- 
tion was  led  by  Dr.  Elijah  White,  who  had  been 
appointed  Sub-Indian  Agent  for  Oregon  by  the 
government  of  the  United  States,  and  consisted 
of  about  130  adult  ])ersons.  It  began  to  reach 
Waiiletpu  the  last  of  September,  about  a  month 
after  Dr.  Whitman  had  determined  to  s^fo  east,  and 
when  his  preparations  for  that  journey  were  almost 
entirely  completed.  The  inunigrants  brought  a  ru- 
mor that  negotiations  were  pending  in  the  spring- 
between  the  high  contending  parties  in  regard  to 
Oregon,  and  that  the  United  States  was  likely  to 
disjiose  of  the  country  to  Great  Britain  for  the  con- 


I* 


n  \aa 


■f^ 


Ill 


IJ 


, 


470 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR ) '. 


sideration  of  some  fishing  privileges  on  the  Eastern 
banks.  Practically  this  entire  statement  was  un- 
true, for,  though  Englir  d  and  the  United  States, 
through  Lord  Ashburton  on  the  one  hand  and 
Taniel  Webster  on  the  other,  were  negotiating  a 
treaty  of  boundary  between  the  two  powers,  it  was 
the  eastern,  or  Maine,  boundary  and  not  the  west- 
ern or  Oregon  boundary  at  all.  Incorrect  as  the 
statement  was  it  caused  considerable  excitement, 
and  became  in  later  years  the  foundation  of  much 
inconsequential  romancing,  and,  coming,  as  it  did, 
a  few  days  before  Dr.  Whitman  actually  started  on 
his  journey,  it  has  been  seized  upon  as  a  l)asis  for 
the  claim  that  Dr.  Whitman,  by  this  journey, 
"saved  Oregon  to  the  United  States."  Before  we 
give  a  statement  of  the  historic  events  connected 
with  the  diplomatic  relations  of  the  United  States 
and  ( ireat  Britain  which  resulted  in  confirming  the 
title  to  Oregon  in  the  former  we  will  follow  Dr. 
Whitman  in  his  celebrated  journey,  upon  the  result 
of  which  the  continuation  of  his  mission  station  and 
that  of  Mr.  S])alding  dej^ended. 

The  Mission  Council  at  Waiiletpu  had  deter- 
mined that  all  communications  to  be  forwarded  by 
the  missionaries  to  the  east  by  him  should  be  in 
his  hands  before  the  5th  of  October,  and  that  day 
was  fixed  upon  as  the  date  of  his  departure.    They 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        471 


(leter- 


reached  him  earlier  and  he  began  his  march  on  the 
3d  day  of  the  month.  He  iiad  secured  the  services 
of  a  young  gt  itlenien  who  had  just  arrived  in  the 
country  with  the  emigration  led  by  Dr.  White,  Mr. 
A.  L.  Lovejoy,  to  accompany  him  on  his  journey. 

The  writer  had  the  pleasure  of  a  long  and  some- 
what intimate  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Lovcjoy,  ex- 
tending from  1853  to  the  time  of  his  death,  about 
thirty  years  after,  and  often  conversed  with  him  in 
regard  to  the  events  of  the  journey,  as  well  as  the 
incidents  of  early  pioneer  life  in  Oregon.  There  is 
little  extant  about  the  journey  in  fact  except  an  ac- 
count of  Mr.  Lovejoy's  written  in  1876.  From 
this  a  few  extracts  will  be  given,  which  contain  the 
gist  of  the  whole  story.     He  says: — 

"1  crossed  the  plains  with  Dr.  White  and  others 
and  arrived  at  Waiiletpu  the  last  of  September, 
1842.  My  party  camped  some  two  miles  below 
Dr.  Whitman's  place.  The  day  after  our  arrival 
Dr.  Whitman  called  at  our  camp  and  asked  me  to 
accompany  him  to  his  house,  as  he  wished  me  to 
draw  up  a  memorial  to  Congress  tO'  prohibit  the 
sale  of  ardent  spirits  in  this  country.  The  doctor 
was  alive  to  the  interests  of  this  coast,  and  mani- 
fested a  very  warm  desire  to  have  it  properly  repre- 
sented at  Washington,  and  after  numerous  conver- 
stations  touching  the  future  prosperity  of  Oregon, 
he  asked  me  one  day  in  a  very  anxious  manner  if 
I  thought  it  would  be  possible  foi"  him  to  cross  the 
mountains  at  that  time  of  the  year.  I  told  him  I 
thought  he  could.     He  next  asked,  "Will  you  ac- 


472 


MISSION AR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y, 


company  me?"  After  a  little  rcttection  I  told  him 
I  would.  ♦  *  *  We  left  Waiiletpu  October  3d,  trav- 
eled rapidly,  and  reached  Fort  Hall  in  eleven  days, 
remained  two  days  to  recruit,  and  make  a  few  pur- 
chases." 

"  Here  Dr.  Whitman  and  Mr.  Lovejoy  were  on 
the  direct  and  plain  hi^-hway  of  travel  between  the 
western  frontiers  and  Oregon.  They  had  both 
passed  over  it,  Mr.  Lovejoy  only  a  few  weeks  be- 
fore. It  was  a  plain  wagon  road,  leading  over  com- 
paratively low  spurs  of  mountains  until  it  reached 
Green  River,  and  then  through  the  wide  depression 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains  known  as  the  South  Pass, 
<lirectly  down  the  waters  of  the  Platte  to  the  Mis- 
souri. For  some  reason,  which  Mr.  Lovejoy  does 
not  mention  ,  i.he  Doctor  left  the  beaten  road, 
which  wou]fl  'lave  led  him.  at  his  rate  of 
tiaveling.  in  two  weeks,  beyond  the  South 
Pass,  and  chose  a  more  southern  route  via 
Salt  Lake,  ^faos  and  Santa  I'e,  in  Mexico,  and 
thence  by  llent's  VoxX.,  on  the  .Arkansas  to  St. 
Louis.  This  took  him  out  of  the  open  way  iiUo  the 
wildest  and  most  snowy  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  necessarily  kept  hiiu  traversing  the  highest 
portion  of  that  range  lengthwise,  instead  of  cross- 
ing it  where  its  altitude  was  lowest,  and  its  ranges 
and  summits  declined  into  a  comparative  moun- 
tainous plain.     This  decision  added  greatly  to  the 


It  rj 


AMERICAN  /WARD  M/SS/ONS.        473 

length  of  the  journey  and  the  (hin}^er  of  encoun- 
tcrinj^:  the  (loep  snows  that  fall  upon  these  highest 
altituiles  much  earlier  than  on  the  plains  of  the 
South  Pass  route.  The  journey  as  thus  made 
proved  a  very  dif^cult  and  dangerous  one.  Mr. 
Lovejoy  gives  many  incidents  of  the  difficuUies  en- 
countered, but  we  cannot  relate  them  here.  A 
single  one  will  suffice: 

■'On  reaching  Fort  Uncompaghgra,  on  the 
waters  of  Grand  River,  the  main  eastern  l)ranch  of 
the  Colorado,  they  recruited  their  supplies,  pro- 
cured a  guide,  and  started  for  Taos  across  the  main 
divide  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Four  or  five  days 
on  their  journey  the}-  encountered  a  terrific  storm, 
when  their  guide  became  confused,  and  Dr.  Whit- 
man was  compelled  to  return  to  the  Fort  for  a  nev' 
one.  Mr.  Lovejoy  remaining  alone  in  cam])  vmtil 
his  return  after  seven  days.  Recovering  their  way 
ii  was  thirty  days  before  they  reached  Taos,  having 
suffered  greatly  for  food  and  from  the  cold.  After 
a  few  days  rest  they  left  for  Bent's  Fort.  Desiring 
to  reach  that  place  more  speedily  than  his  loaded 
pack  animals  could  make  the  journey,  the  doctor 
selected  the  best  horse,  and  with  blankets  and  a 
little  food  rode  forward  alone.  In  four  days  Mr. 
Dovejoy  and  the  guide  arrived  at  the  Fort.  Init  the 
doctor  had  not  been  seen  or  heard  of.  ^fr.  Love- 
joy returned  a  hundred  miles  on  the  trail,  but  could 
only  learn  from  the  Indians  that  a  lost  white  man 
had  been  incpiiring  the  way  to  Bent's  Fort.  About 
the  eighth  day  from  the  time  he  left  his  comi)an- 
ions  he  reached  the  Fort,  worn,  weary  and  despon- 
ding;  as  he  believed  God  had  bewildered  him  for 


474 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


! !'.  I 


traveling  on  the  Sabl)ath — a  thing-  he  had  ahvays 
conscientiously  avoided." 

Mr.  Lovejoy  concludes  his  account  of  this  jou-- 

ney  by  saying:  . 

"Here  we  parted.  The  doctor  proceeded  to 
Washington,!  remaining  at  Bent'sFort  until  spring 
and  joined  the  doctor  the  following  July  near  Fort 
Laramie  on  his  way  back  to  ( )regon  in  company 
with  a  train  of  emigrants.  He  often  expressed 
himself  to  me  about  the  remainder  of  b^'s  journey, 
and  the  manner  in  which  he  was  received  at  Wash- 
ington, and  by  the  Board  of  Missions  at  Boston. 
•  He  had  several  interviews  with  President  Tyler, 
Secretary  Webster  and  members  of  Congress — 
Congress  being  in  session  at  the  time.  He  urged 
the  immediate  termination  of  the  treaty  with  Great 
Britain,  and  begged  them  to  extend  the  laws  of 
the  United  States  over  Oregon,  and  asked  for  lib- 
eral inducements  for  emigrants  to  come  to  this 
coast.  But  his  reception  by  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  was  not  so  cordial.  They  were  inclined 
to  censure  him  for  leaving  his  post." 

Dr.  Whitman  reached  St.  Louis  in  March.  Af- 
ter visiting  Washington  he  i)roceeded  to  Boston 
and  met  the  Missionary  Hoard,  and  after  closing 
his  business  with  that  body,  roturned  to  the  west, 
reaching  the  frontiers  of  Missouri  early  in  May, 
where  he  joined  the  company  of  emigrants  which 
had  already  assembled  there,  and  traveled  with 
them  across  the  plains,  reaching  his  home  about 
one  year  from  the  time  he  left  it  for  his  eventful 
journey.  ■ 


^m 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        475 

During  the  year  of  his  absence  the  interests  of 
his  mission  had  greatly  suffered.  The  Indians  had 
burned  his  mill,  and  in  other  ways  despoiled  the 
property  of  the  mission.  They  were  so  manifestly 
hostile  that  soon  after  his  departure  Mrs.  Whitman 
had  left  the  place  and  gone  down  the  Columbia  to 
the  Methodist  Mission  at  The  Dalles,  where  she 
spent  the  vvinter  of  1842-3.     Mr.  Lovejoy  says: 

"The  Indians  were  very  hostile  to  the  doctor 
for  leaving  them,  and  without  doubt,  owmg  to  his 
absence  the  seeds  of  assassination  were  sown  by 
those  haughty  Cayuse  Indians  which  resulted  in 
his  and  Mrs.  Whitman's  death,  with  many  others, 
though  it  did  not  take  place  until  four  years  later." 

While  Dr.  Whitman  was  absent  in  the  east 
there  v/as  little  of  special  interest  to  mark  the 
story  of  the  missions  of  the  American  Board  in 
Oregon.  Disheartened  at  the  conditions  of 
the  mission,  Mr.  (iray  asked  and  obtained 
a  discharge  from  their  service,  and  had  re- 
moved to  the  Willamette  \'"alley,  where  he 
had  associated  himself  with  the  work  of  the  Ore- 
gon Institute  as  its  secular  agent.  Practicall\'  all 
missionary  work  cit  \\\iiiletpu  had  ceased  during 
the  doctor's  absence.  There  were  left  connected 
with  the  mission  only  three  men:  Spalding, 
Walker  and  Eells.  Of  course  there  were  a  few 
other  men  in  the  secular  employ  of  the  stations, 


1.!^ 


WPPIP' 


476 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  K 


I  -I 


but  they  did  not  rate  as  missionarie.s.  While  Dr. 
Whitman  had  secured  from  the  Board  a  suspension 
of  the  order  to  disband  the  Lapwai  and  V,'iiij»^+rji; 
stations,  he  (Hd  not  bring  lack  with  him  :i:'  .;  ' 
tional  help  for  the  mission  work.  Indeen,  that 
work  ne\er  appeared  at  so  low  an  ebb  as  when  he 
reached  it  on  his  return  in  the  autumn  of  1843. 
The  causes  of  this  decline  are  not  to  be  traced  to 
any  want  of  faithfulness  on  the  part  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, but  rather  to  the  apprehensive  and  jeal- 
ous condition  of  the  Indian  mind,  increased  and  in- 
tensified   b}-    the   coming-   of   the    immigration    of 

1842.  under  Dr.  White,  and  the  still  larger  one  of 

1843,  with  which  Dr.  Whitman  was  himself  asso- 
ciated. These  causes  ])articularly  operated  on  the 
minds  of  the  Cayuses.  through  the  center  of  whose 
territory  the  emigrant  route  passed,  and  from  them 
spread  outward  to  the  other  tribes.  Indeed,  after 
Dr.  Whitman  rehabilitated  his  mission  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1843.  the  work  of  that  station  lost  much 
of  its  character  as  an  Indian  mission.  It  becan" 
rather  a  resting  ])lace  and  trading  post,  where  the 
successive   immigrations   of    1 844-'45-'4r)   and   '47 

.  halted  for  a  little  recupeiation  after  ihoir  long  and 
weary  journey  before  they  passed  f  -r.^ard  to  the 
Willamette.  This  was  inevitable,  but  its  tendency 
was  to  increase  the  angry  tension  of  the  Cayuse 


"WF: 


mi 


^hile  Dr. 
spenbion 

i:'     ■.;!:- 
eii,   that 
when  he 
of  1843. 
raced  to 
the  mis- 
ancl  jeal- 
cl  and  in- 
•ation   of 
er  one  of 
self  asso- 
1(1  on  the 
of  who?c 
•om  them 
eed,  after 
n  the  an 
ost  mnch 
t  becan" 
vhere  the 
and   '47 
long  and 
rd  to  the 
tendency 
le  Caynse 


I 
i 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.    '    477 

mind  and  render  less  and  less  hopeful  any  effort 
made  to  benefit  that  apparently  doomed  people. 
Their  bad  spirit  often  broke  out  in  acts  of  violence 
and  indignity  against  Dr.  Whitman  and  others  at 
his  station,  showing  that  this  people  were  growing 
tired  of  the  restraints  imposed  upon  them  by  mis- 
sionary teaching,  and  were  even  meditating  the  ex- 
pulsion of  missionary  teachers  from  their  midst, 
All  saw  it,  felt  it,  feared  it,  but  Dr.  Whitman  seem- 
ed to  realize  it  least  of  all.  More  or  less  this  bad 
contagion  affected  the  other  tribes  and  threatened 
the  other  stations,  but  Waiiletpu  seemed  to  be  the 
storm-center  about  which  were  gathering  the 
clouds  of  wrath.  • 

Fort  Walla  Walla  was  at  this  time  under  the  di- 
rection of  Mr.  Archibald  McKinlay,  a  Scotch  Pres- 
byterian, a  warm  personal  friend  of  Dr.  Whitman, 
and  a  very  noble  man.  He  subsequently  left  the 
service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  become 
a  ciiizai  of  the  United  States,  as  did  Dr.  McLough- 
lin.  Mr.  McKinlay  strongly  sustained  Dr.  Whit- 
man, and  had  it  not  been  for  his  support  it  is  not 
likely  that  the  doctor  would  have  been  able  to  con- 
tinue his  work  among  the  Cayuses  after  his  return. 
The  Indian  chief  who  claimed  Waiiletpu,  1\>lou- 
kaikt,  was  especially  decided  in  opposition  to  the 
continuance    of    the    mission.      Dr.    McLoughlin, 


V'\i 


€ 


478 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


whose  judgment  and  friendship  were  always  at  the 
■••r,'ire  of  all  the  missions,  advised  Dr.  Whitman 
tc  lOve  from  among  the  Cayuses.  as  he  believed 
not  only  that  he  could  no  longer  be  useful  to  them, 
but  that  his  life  was  in  danger  if  he  remained  among 
them.  Dr.  Whitman,  however,  could  not  see  what 
these  astute  leaders  clearly  perceived,  and  in  the 
summer  of  1847  hegan  to  make  preparations  for 
the  erection  of  a  Church  and  other  btiildings.  He 
also  urged  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society 
to  occupy  the  field  at  once.  This  hopeful  feeling 
was  shared  at  the  other  stations.  Mr.  Eells  at  Tshi- 
makain  wrote  in  April,  1847.  "we  feel  that  as  a  mis- 
sion our  prospects  were  never  more  encouraging." 
It  was  at  this  time  that  Dr.  Whitman  entered 
into  negotiations  with  Rev.  George  Gary,  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Methodist  Missions  in  Oregon,  for 
the  transfer  of  the  Dalles  mission  of  that  church  to 
him  for  the  American  Board,  as  related  in  a  former 
chapter.  It  appears  on  the  whole,  that,  on  finding 
that  Mr.  Gray  was  willing  to  withdraw  from  all  the 
missionary  work  east  of  the  Mountains.  Dr.  Whit- 
man decided  to  close -ttp  his  work  at  Waiiletpu  and 
concentrate  it  at  the  Dalles.  He  expected  to  ac- 
complish this  by  the  spring  of  1848,  so  he  wrought 
on  amid  discouragements  undiscouraged,  and  amid 
failure  hopmg  for  succees  through  the  summer  and 
autumn  of  1847.     Nothing  could  be  braver. 


i\ 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS. 


b' 


179 


Suddenly,  however,  on  tlie  29th  day  of  Novem- 
ber, 1847,  t'le  thrilling  drama  changed  to  bloody 
tragedy,  and  the  mission  of  Waiiletpii  went  out  in 
blood.  The  very  Indians  for  whom  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Whitman  had  performed  their  heroic  and  self-sacri- 
ficing toil  for  eleven  years,  excited  to  savage  frenzv 
by  the  everlasting  whisperings  of  suspicion  that 
were  addressed  to  their  superstitious  fears,  gathered 
in  numbers  about  the  mission  station,  and  while 
one  of  them  was  treacherously  seeking  a  favor  of 
the  Doctor,  another  buried  a  tomahawk  in  his 
brain.  A  scene  of  barbarous  cruelty  and  murder 
that  has  had  few  parallels  in  the  history  of  mission- 
ary martyrdom  followed  the  fatal  blow.  Mrs. 
Whitman  was  shot,  and  several  others  shared  her 
fate  before  the  terrible  tragedy  was  over.  Over 
the  circumstances  of  the  appalling  hour  in  which 
expired  these  noble  lives  and  this  noble  mission  we 
draw  a  veil.  It  were  enough  to  state  the  awful 
fact  without  detailing  the  horrors  of  the  atrocious 
deed. 

With  the  death  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman,  and 
the  utter  destruction  of  their  missicn.  all  the  mis- 
sions of  the  American  Board  in  the  country  were 
abandoned  as  soon  as  those  who  conducted  them 
could  escape  from  the  country.  This  was  not  easi- 
ly done,  and  probablv  could  not  have  been  effected 


e'l: 


'   i:i 


m\ 


11  ^: 


4S0 


MISSIONAR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


at  all  but  for  the  immediate  and  effective  interpo- 
sition of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  their  be- 
half. Mr.  Spalding  was  on  a  visit  to  Waiiletpu  at 
the  time  of  the  massacre,  but  on  the  fatal  day  was 
temporarily  absent  at  Umatilla,  about  forty  miles 
distant,  and  so  escaped  the  fate  of  his  fellow  mis- 
sionary. Returning  towards  Waiiletpu  the  next 
day,  he  was  within  three  miles  of  the  station  when 
he  met  a  Catholic  priest  who  informed  him  of  the 
terrible  fact.  He  turned  and  fled  towards  his  own 
station,  over  a  hundred  miles  distant,  with  no  food 
but  a  little  furnished  him  by  the  priest.  The  In- 
dians in  the  whole  country  were  frantic  with  this 
taste  of  blood,  and  it  was  only  after  he  had  traveled 
seven  nights  on  foot,  his  horse  having  escaped  him 
soon  after  he  began  his  flight,  that  he  reached  Lap- 
wai.  He  found  his  own  premises  plundered  by  the 
hostile  Nez  Perces,  though  his  wife  had  been  pro- 
tected by  friendly  chiefs  of  the  same  tribe. 

Messrs.  Walker  and  Eells  and  their  families  con- 
tinued at  their  station  a  short  time,  when  threats  of 
danger  became  so  alarming  that  Chief  Factor 
Lewis  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  in  command 
of  Fort  Colville,  about  seventy  miles  north  of  Spo- 
kane, offered  them  asylum  at  that  post.  This  of- 
fer they  accepted,  and  removing  to  that  station  re- 
mained until  the  following  June.     Meantime  the 


I ' 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        481 

Indian  war  that  followed  the  massacre  at  Waiilet- 
pu  had  brought  an  army  of  several  hundred  volun- 
teers into  the  Cayuse  country  who  had  spent  some 
months  in  vigorous  effort  to  subdue  the  Cayuses 
and  punish  the  murderers,  and  were  about  to  re- 
turn to  the  Willamette  Valley.  When  they  were 
about  to  leave  the  vicinity  of  the  fearful  tragedv 
of  November  29th,  Col.  H.  A.  G.  Lee,  commanding 
the  forces,  asked  for  volunteers  to  proceed  to  Col- 
ville  and  rescue  the  missionaries  from  the  Indian 
country.  Major  James  Alagone  and  sixty  men 
undertook  the  duty.  On  their  way  north  they  met 
the  missionaries  and  families  near  their  old  station, 
and,  taking  them  under  their  care,  conducted  them 
safely  to  Oregon  City. 

Col.  Lee,  as  military  commander,  proclaimed  the 
country  closed  to  missionaries.  This  was  a  mere 
form.  It  was  closed  by  something  more  imperative 
than  a  military  order,  and  the  work  among  the  In- 
dians could  not  have  been  continued  if  no  such 
order  had  been  issued.  Although  Messrs.  Walker 
and  Eells  retained  their  connection,  nominallv, 
with  the  Missionary  Board  for  a  few  years  longer, 
this  was  the  end  of  the  missions  of  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions 
among  the  Indians  of  Oregon. 

Although  the  missions  themselves  as  an  organ- 


!,: 


I  ■  1:^ 


m.  i: 


1 

p 

.    , 

■  . 

! 

?; 

r  -til 

1  m 


1  ■e  iS' 

m 


•U. 


I'll 


;,UJ^ 


^82 


MISSIONAR  V  HIS  TOR  Y. 


i?,e(l  work  ended  here  and  thus,  the  history  of  their 
work  does  not  end  here,  and  it  would  not  be  right 
to  dismiss  it  from  our  record  in  this  summary  way. 
There  were  elements  and  influences  connected 
with  and  flowing  out  of  these  missions  that  have 
had  a  continuous  effect  on  some  of  the  tribes 
among'  whom  they  were  established  up  to  this  titne. 
It  is  proper  that  some  of  these  be  named. 

\\'e  have  mentioned  before  that  these  tribes  were 
in  all  respecLs  much  superior  to  those  west  of  the 
Cascade  Mountains.  They  had  much  the  finer 
physical  and  intellectual  make-up.  Their  modes  of 
life  corresponded  with  their  personal  elevation. 
Living  in  a  country  of  vast  rolling  prairies,  inter- 
sected and  bordered  by  most  magnificent  moun- 
tain ranges,  they  ranked  with  the  great  equestrian 
tribes  that  roamed  the  plains  eastward  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  They  were  alert,  long-vis- 
ioned.  and.  in  their  aboriginal  way,  full  of  mental 
resources.  It  may  be  doubted  if  any  Indians  in 
.American  ever  furnished  as  promising  a  field  for 
the  efforts  of  the  missionary  as  did  the  Nez  Perces, 
and  next  to  them,  possibly,  the  Spokanes.  includ- 
ing their  neighbors  and  relatives  the  Cayuses.  Yak- 
imas  and  Walla  Wallas.  They  were  the  literal 
owners  of  the  greater  half  of  the  present  States  of 
Washington  and  Oregon  and  Idaho;  a  region  now 


■^■F 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        483 

boasting-  the  third,  if  not  the  second  city  of  the 
Northwest,  Spokane,  with  hundreds  of  thriving 
cities  and  villages,  and  that  may  without  exagger- 
ation claim  the  honor  of  being  the  finest  wheat 
producing  region  of  the  United  States.  They 
roamed  it  far  and  near,  over  plain  and  mountain,  at 
will. 

The  conditions  of  their  life  were  such  that  they 
seemed  to  present  the  finest  opportunities  for  suc- 
cess in  missionarary  work,  and  for  some  years  after 
the  missions  at  Waiiletpu  and  Lapwai  were  estab- 
lished strong  hopes  were  entertained  that  they 
would  become  a  civilized  Christian  people.  These 
hopes  were  the  stronger  because  they  were  so 
widely  separated  from  any  larger  contact  with 
white  people.  So  distant  was  all  Oregon  from  all 
sources  of  emigration,  and  this  part  of  it  so  far 
inland  from  the  Pacific  coast,  that  it  did  not  seem 
likely  to  any  but  a  few  of  the  most  astute  observers 
that  the  Indians  could  be  disturbed  in  their  sole  oc- 
cupancy of  it  until  these  tribes  had  themselves  put 
on  the  new  life  of  a  Christian  civilization.  I-Ience, 
even  the  Methodr^t  missionaries  of  the  Willamette, 
who  visited  these  missions,  believed  that  they  had 
by  far  the  best  chance  of  final  success.  Wx.  Lee, 
who,  as  has  been  previously  recorded,  visited  them 
in  the  spring  of  1838,  and  gave  nearly  a  month  to 


% 


i 


i     i 


M- ._ 


.-I- 


4S4 


MISSIONAR  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


their  examination  and  study,  formed  this  opinion. 
Mr.  Hines,  who  visited  them  in  the  summer  of 
i843p,in  company  with  Dr.  EHjah  White,  then  suh- 
In(han  Agent  for  Oregon,  and  Rev.  H.  K.  W.  Per- 
kin^of  the  Methodist  Mission  at  VVascopam,  and 
had  the  best  opportunity  for  formirg  a  judgment 
of  the  character  of  the  Indians  tliemselves,  pro- 
nounced the  mission  of  Mr.  Spalding  among  the 
Nez  Perces  "the  most  promising  Indian  mission 
in  Oregon."  Still  their  end  as  missions  was  what 
we  have  stated,  and  as  we  have  stated  it. 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  satisfactorily  delineate 
the  causes  that  led  to  this  result.  Different  writers, 
each  studying  the  facts  of  the  attendant  history 
from  a  different  standpoint,  assign  it  to  a  different 
cause.  This  fact  alone  would  indicate  that  the 
.  causes  must  be  somewhat  occult,  and  hence  not 
easy  to  detect  in  any  simple  or  single  form,  but 
that  they  must  be  found  in  a  combination  of  condi- 
tions  and  facts  that,  operating  on  the  strongly 
personal  and  prejudiced  nature  of  such  a  people, 
inflamed  a  portion  of  them  to  such  a  deed  of  mur- 
der to  avenge  what  they  conceived  to  be  injuries  or 
wrongs  wrought  upon  themselves.  This,  of  course, 
is  the  most  charitable  view  to  be  taken  on  the  side 
of  the  Indians,  but  it  is  in  harmony  with  their  well- 
known  mental  and  moral  character,  and  the  tradi- 


AMERICAN  BOARD  MISSIONS.        485 


pinion, 
mer  of 
en  sub- 
V.  Per- 
m,  and 
Igment 
;s,  pro- 
)ng  the 
mission 
as  what 

eHneate 
writers, 
history 
Ufferent 
hat   the 
nee  not 
rm,  but 
)f  condi- 
jtrongly 
people, 
of  mur- 
juries  or 
f  course, 
the  side 
leir  well- 
lie  tradi- 


tions of  their  race.  It  should  not  escape  state- 
ment, however,  that  it  was  only  a  portion  of  the 
Cayu.se  tribe  that  was  engaged  in  the  fearful,  mur- 
derous tragedy  that  thus  ended  these  missions. 

For  many  years  these  causes  were  mucli  dis- 
cussed. Some  writers,  among  whom  Mr.  W.  H. 
Gray,  who  was  connected  with  the  mission  of  Dr. 
Whitman  and  Mr.  Spalding  as  a  secular  agent  from 
their  beginning  until  the  spring  of  1843,  ^V'l'^  most 
prominent,  charged  it  almost  entirely  u])on  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Catholic  missionaries,  and  what  he 
conceived  to  be  their  matured  intention  to  drive 
the  Protestant  mission  out  of  the  countrv  at  any 
.sacrifice;  abetted  and  encouraged  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  their 
ir.fluence  in  favor  of  the  United  States  in  the  con- 
test then  going  on  for  the  ownership  of  the  coun- 
try. The  concensus  of  later  and  calmer  i-c Igment, 
however,  has  been  that,  while  the  presence  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  missionaries  in  the  country,  with 
their  always  unrelenting  and  unconcealed  oi)posi- 
tion  to  Protestantism,  had  a  strong  influence  on 
many  of  the  Indians  against  the  missions  and  the 
missionaries,  they  did  not  seek  nor  advise  the  de- 
struction of  the  mission  in  this  awful  wav.  Tlie 
controvensy  on  this  theme  has  been  verv  extended, 
and  we  can  not  enter  upon  it  in  this  book.     Still 


'.K} 


!  »= 


I 


1    . 


; 


!,|,, 


1:' 

i  i 

)    ■ 

li  ■ 

ii  i' 

li  ii 

jj; 

J;; 

1     . 

4S6 


MISS  ZONA  R  V  HIS  TOR  V. 


it  would  not  be  fair  to  the  unstudied  reader  if  we 
did  not  say,  that,  after  many  years  of  examination^, 
and  a  ])ersonal  acquaintance  with  all  the  chief  actors 
in  the  events  of  that  thrilling-  era  in  Oregon  hist- 
ory except  Dr.  Whitman  himself,  including  the 
Catholic  priests  and  the  leading  characters  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  such  seems  to  us  t  be 
the  most  reasonable  conclusion  of  history. 
•  More  remains  to  this  day  of  the  results  of  the 
missions  of  Mr.  Spalding  among  the  Nez  Perces 
than  of  those  of  any  other  Indian  mission  of  Ore- 
gon. Possibly  this  is  because  more  remains  of  the 
Nez  Perces  thetriselves.  Having  the  most  stable 
and  elevated  character  of  any  of  the  tribes,  and 
withal,  being  the  largest  of  any,  they  retain  many 
traces  of  the  work  he  and  his  most  excellent  wife 
did  among  them.  Christian  men  and  women,  with 
Christian  churches  still  existing,  and  even  yet  mul- 
tiplying among  them,  testify  that  their  work  was 
not  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 


XXV. 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT. 

THE  subject  of  what  i^  known  in  historv  as 
"The  Provisional  (mvernment  of  Ore^-on," 
is  to  he  introchiced  liere  only  so  far  as  it  relates  to 
the  era  of  the  missionary  organizations,  and  the 
periods  when  the  results  of  their  presence  and 
work  were  crystalizing  into  social  conditions  that 
called  for  civil  and  political  order.  Before  this 
time  the  dreamy  story  of  the  Indian  tribes  had  sim- 
ply changed  into  the  scarcely  less  dreamy  story  of 
the  fur  traffic,  hardly  more  civilization  than  was 
the  other.  How  little  there  was  of  anything  that 
had  the  fragrance  of  civilization  I'ather  than  the 
odor  of  the  wigwam  in  it  up  to  the  close  of  1840 
will  be  seen  by  the  following  summary  of  arrivals 
of  Americans  in  the  country  up  to  that  time.  Tn 
1834  the  four  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Missions  and  six  other  Americans  arrived.  In  1835 
there  were  none.  In  1836  three  male  and  two  fe- 
male missionaries  of  the  American  Board.  In  1837 
live  male  and  seven  female  missionaries  of  the 
Methodist  Board,  with  three  children  and  three 
settlers  reached  the  country.      In  1838  eight  per- 


■■■  i!  ■ 


\i 


«■ 


h   i 


' 


Ifr 


^SS 


MISSION  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


sons  reinforced  the  Missions  of  the  American 
Board  and  three  white  men  from  the  Rocky  Moun- 
trains  came  into  the  country.  Tn  1839  four  inde- 
pendent Protestant  missionaries  and  eight  settlers 
came.  In  1840  thirty-one  adults  and  fourteen  chil- 
dren came  to  the  Methodist  Mission,  and  four  in- 
dependent Protestant  missionaries  and  thirteen 
settlers,  mostly  Rocky  Mountain  men  with  Indian 
wives,  came  in.  This  made  in  all  86  adults  con- 
nected with  the  missions  and  twenty-eight  Ameri- 
can settlers,  a  total  of  114.  Besides  these,  in  1838 
and  1839  F.  N.  Blanchet,  A.  Demers  and  P.  G.  De 
Smet,  Jes""!t  missionaries,  arrived.  These,  of 
course,  added  nothing  to  the  American  settlement, 
and  surely  not  to  the  American  sentiment  in  the 
country,  but  rather  the  reverse.  Outside  of  these 
there  were  a  small  number  of  the  superanualed 
employes  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  located  at 
various  points,  yet  holding  legal  and  social  rela- 
tions to  that  body. 

Civilly  and  politically  there  "^re  two  senti- 
ments: one  American  and  one  British.  Being 
largely  in  the  majority  of  the  Americans,  and  a 
chosen  body  of  able  and  educated  men  and  women, 
the  missionaries  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  naturally  and  necessarily  took  the  lead  in 
all  matters  that  looked  towards  the  establishment 


senti- 


I 


I': 


1       [. 

;     f  , 

f  ■ 

1 

!         ;■    '■ 

■ 

■ 

1. 

1 

' 

m 


•i;« 


.'I  I X 


<;i:<)ii(;K  AitKitxi'/niY. 

I'MrsI  (JdVciiKir  nC  ( )i't'ii(ni. 


' 


^ 


i 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.   ^8(j 

of  any  form  of  government  in  the  country.  The 
missionaries  of  the  American  Board,  namely,  Dr. 
Whitman  and  Messrs.  Spalding  and  Eells  and 
Walker  were  so  far  removed  from  the  center  of  set- 
tlement that  they  had  no  participation  in  the 
movements  that  resulted  in  the  establishment  of 
the  Provisional  Government.  There  was  not  a 
single  American  resident  within  a  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  of  any  of  their  missions. 

So  situated  they  had  no  opp^)rtunity  to  co-oper- 
ate with  the  small  Am'  'ican  community  in  the 
Willamette  in  any  movement  lookinu  to  the  gen- 
eral interests  of  Oregon  as  related  to  general  ed- 
ucational work,  or  to  the  extension  tf  the  autl  jr- 
ity  of  the  United  States  Government  over  the  terri- 
tory. Of  course  they  were  in  sentiment  entirely 
in  accord  with  the  American  citizens  of  <  Oregon, 
and  but  for  their  isolation  would  have  heartily  co- 
operated with  them. 

On  the  other  hand  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  the 
retired  servants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
with  that  company  itself,  could  always  be  relied 
on  t^  sustain  the  pretensions  of  Great  Britain,  and 
oppose  the  plans  and  purposes  of  the  American 
population,  led  by  the  Methodist  missionaries. 
Thus  it  happened  at  the  close  of  1840,  that  the 
forces  in  array  against  each  other  for  the  ultimate 


■s  '■( 


.        !    U 


fri; 


490 


MISSION AR  Y  HIS  TOR  V. 


lib 


possession  of  the  country,  were  on  the  one  side,  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  its  retired  servants, 
together  with  the  Roman  CathoHc  missionaries. 
On  the  other  side  the  Methodist  Missions  and  the 
American  settlers. 

The  stake  was  the  country  itself,  and  whether 
it  should  l)ecome  American  or  English  was  the 
question  at  issue.  The  stake  was  immeasurable; 
and  the  players  were  so  nearly  equal  in  number 
that  no  man  could  tell  where  the  majority  would 
fall  until  the  day  for  a  final  count  should  come. 
Counted  by  numbers  it  was  the  smallest  force  that 
ever  contended  for  an  empire.  Gauged  by  results 
i<  was  the  mightiest  conflict  of  the  century.  All 
told  there  were  137  Americans  of  all  ages  and 
sexes  in  the  country,  over  90  of  whom  were  con- 
nected with  the  Protestant  missions. 

Such  men  as  led  the  American  contingent  in 
this  contest  do  not  slumber  on  their  posts.  In- 
deed before  1840  the  first  step  towards  the  final 
one  was  taken  by  the  memorial  gotten  up  by  the 
mission  and  carried  by  Mr.  Lee  to  Washington,  to 
which  former  reference  was  made.  In  1839  the 
subject  was  again  brought  to  the  attenion  of  Con- 
gress in  a  memorial,  too  important  as  a  part  of  the 
missionary  history  of  the  Northwest  to  be  omitterl 
here,     ft  was  as  follows:  .  ' 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.    491 


^Pfn 


In- 


''To  the  Honorable,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives of  the  United  States  of  America,  in 
Congress  assembled: 

"Your  petitioners  represent  unto  your  honorable 
bodies  that  they  are  residents  in  the  Oregon  Ter- 
ritory, and  citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  per- 
sons desirous  of  becoming  such. 

They  further  represent  unto  your  honorable 
bodies  that  they  have  settled  themselves  in  said 
territory  under  the  belief  that  it  was  a  portion  of 
the  public  domain  of  the  United  States,  and  that 
they  might  rely  upon  the  government  thereof  for 
the  blessings  of  free  institutions,  and  the  protection 
of  its  arms. 

Your  petitioners  further  represent  that  they  are 
uninformed  of  any  acts  of  said  government  by 
which  its  institutions  are  extended  to  them;  in 
consequence  whereof  themselves  and  families  are 
exposed  to  be  destroyed  by  the  savages  around 
them,  and  others  that  would  do  them  harm. 

And  your  petitioners  would  further  represent 
that  they  have  no  means  of  protecting  their  lives 
and  the  lives  of  their  families  other  than  self-con- 
stituted tribunals,  originated  and  sustained  by  an 
ill-instructed  public  opinion,  and  the  resort  to  force 
and  arms. 

And  your  petitioners  would  further  represent 
these  means  of  safety  to  be  an  insufficient  safe- 
guard of  life  and  property,  and  that  the  crimes  of 
theft,  nun-der.  infanticide,  etc.,  are  increasing 
among  them  to  an  alarming  extent,  and  your  peti- 
tioners declare  themselves  unable  to  arrest  this  pro- 
gress of  crime  and  its  terrible  consequences  without 
the  aid  of  law.  and  tribunals  to  administer  it. 

Your  petitioners  therefore  pray  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  to  establish  as  soon  as  mav  be 


'  rl 


492 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  Y. 


,i 


M-  V    111 


a   Territorial    Government    in    the  Oregon   Terri- 
tory. 

And  if  other  reasons  than  these  presented  were 
needed  to  induce  your  honorable  bodies  to  grant 
the  prayer  of  the  undersigned,  your  petitioners, 
they  would  be  found  in  the  value  of  the  territory 
to  the  nation  and  the  alarming  circumstances  that 
portend  its  loss. 

Your  petitioners,  in  view  of  these  last  considera- 
tions, would  represent  that  the  English  govern- 
ment has  had  a  surveying  party  on  the  Oregon 
coast  for  two  years,  employed  in  making  accurate 
surveys  of  all  its  bays,  rivers  and  harbors,  and  that 
recently  the  said  government  is  said  to  have  made 
a  grai.t  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  of  all  lands 
lying  between  the  Columbia  River  and  Puget 
Sound,  and  that  the  said  company  is  actually  ex- 
ercising unequivocal  acts  of  ownership  over  said 
lands  and  opening  extensive  farms  up(5n  the  same. 

And  your  petitioners  represent  that  these  cir- 
cumstances, connected  with  other  acts  of  said 
company  to  the  same  effects,  and  their  declaration 
that  the  English  government  owns  and  will  hold, a? 
its  own  soil,  that  portion  of  Oregon  Territory  sit- 
uated north  of  the  Columbia  River,  together  with 
the  important  fact  that  the  said  company  are  cut- 
ting and  sawing  into  lumber  and  shipping  to  for- 
eign marts  vast  quantities  of  the  finest  pine  trees 
upon  the  navigal)le  waters  of  the  Columbia,  have 
led  your  petitioners  to  apprehend  that  the  English 
Government  does  intend  at'  all  events  to  hold  that 
portion  of  this  territory  lying  north  of  the  Colum- 
l)ia  River. 

And  your  petitioners  represent  that  the  said  ter- 
ritory north  of  the  Columbia  River  is  an  invalua- 
ble possession  to  the  American  Union;  that  in  and 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.    493 


about  Puget  Sound  are  the  only  harbors  of  easy 
access  and  conmiodious  and  safe  upon  the  whole 
coast  of  the  territory,  and  that  a  great  part  of  this 
said  northern  part  of  the  territory  is  rich  in  timber 
and  valuable  minerals.  For  this  and  other  reasons 
your  petitioners  pray  that  Congress  will  establish 
its  sovereignty  over  said  territory. 

Your  petitioners  would  further  represent  that 
the  country  south  of  the  Columbia  River  and 
north  of  the  Mexican  line,  and  extendino'  from  the 
Pacific  ocean  120  miles  into  the  interior  is  of  un- 
equaled  beauty.  Its  mountains,  covered  with  per- 
petual snow,  pouring  into  the  prairies  around  their 
bases  transparent  streams  of  the  purest  water,  the 
white  and  black  oak,  pine,  cedar  and  fir  forests  that 
divide  the  prairies  into  sections  convenient  for 
farming  purposes,  the  rich  mines  of  coal  in  its  hills, 
and  salt  springs  in  its  valleys,  its  quarries  of  lime- 
stone, sandstone,  chalk  and  marble,  the  salmon  of 
its  rivers,  and  the  various  blessings  of  the  delight- 
ful and  healthy  climate,  are  knowai  to  us  and  im- 
press your  petitioners  with  the  belief  that  this  is 
one  of  the  most  favored  portions  of  the  globe. 

Indeed  the  deserts  of  the  interior  have  their 
wealth  of  pasturage,  and  their  lakes,  evaporating  in 
sunnner,  leave  in  their  basins  hundreds  of  bushels 
of  the  purest  soda.  Many  other  circumstances 
could  be  named  showing  the  importance  of  this 
territory  in  a  national,  commercial  and  agricultural 
point  of  view.  And  although  your  petitioners 
would  not  undervalue  considerations  of  this  kind, 
yet  they  beg  leave  especially  to  call  the  attention 
of  Congress  to  their  own  condition  as  an  infant 
colony,  without  military  force  or  civil  institutions 
to  protect  the  lives  and  property  and  children, 
sanctuaries  and  tombs  from  the  hands  of  uncivilized 


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MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


and  merciless  savages  around  them.  We  respect- 
fully ask  for  the  civil  institutions  of  the  American 
Republic.  We  pray  for  the  high  privilege  of  Amer- 
can  citizenship,  the  peaceful  enjoyment  of  life,  the 
right  of  acquiring,  possessing  and  using  property, 
and  the  unrestrained  pursuit  of  rational  happiness. 
And  your  petitioners  will  ever  prav. 

DAVID  LESLIE.    • 
And  about  seventy  others. 

The  reader  must  pronounce  this  a  most  remarkable 
document.  David  Leslie  was  at  this  time  pro  tem 
Superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Mission  in  Ore- 
gon, in  the  absence  of  Jason  Lee,  then  on  his  re- 
turn from  the  States  with  the  great  reinforcement 
that  reached  Oregon  June  ist,  1840.  It  certainly 
was  fortunate  for  the  United  States  that  the  church 
had  in  her  missionary  work  in  Oregon  at  that  most 
critical  period  of  Oregon  history  men  who 
were  capable  of  producing  such  documents, 
and  at  the  same  time  brave  and  patriotic 
enough  to  take  up  on  the  disputed  soil 
the  cause  of  the  .  American  possession  of 
the  country,  when  that  of  Great  Britain  was  cham- 
pioned by  such  a  power  on  the  very  ground  as  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  aided  by  all  the  influence 
of  the  Catholic  missions.  It  is  a  most  brilliant 
chapter  of  Methodist  history.  While  this  memorial 
had  gone  on  to  Congress,  and  the  people  of  Ore- 
gon were  waiting  for  some  congressional  action,  the 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.   493 


necessities  of  the  colony  were  growing  more  and 
more  urgent.  Something  in  the  form  of  a  govern- 
ment seemed  imperatively  demanded.  To  meet 
the  requirements  of  the  time  a  meeting  of  a  num- 
ber of  the  leading  citizens  was  called  at  Champoeg, 
not  far  from  the  Methodist  Mission,  on  the  7th  of 
February.  1841,  for  consultation  on  the  steps  nec- 
essary to  be  taken  for  the  formation  of  laws  and  the 
election  of  officers  to  execute  them.  Rev.  Jason 
Lee  was  called  to  the  chair.  He  advised  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  committee  to  draft  a  constitution 
and  by-laws  for  the  governmefnt  of  the  country 
south  of  the  Columbia  River,  but  no  definite  action 
was  had.  yVnother  meeting  was  held  at  the  Meth- 
odist Mission  on  the  17th  of  February,  when  nearly 
all  the  people  of  the  valley  were  present.  Rev. 
David  Leslie  was  president,  and  Gustavus  Mines 
and  Sidney  Smith  were  secretaries.  Though  .1 
committee  was  appointed  to  formulate  a  system 
of  government  of  which  Rev.  F.  N.  Blanchet,  after- 
wards Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of  Oregon, 
was-  chairman,  to  report  to  the  meeting  of 
June  nth,  it  was  found  that  Mr.  Blanchet  had  not 
called  the  committee  together,  and  no  further  ac- 
tion was  had  in  the  matter  at  this  time. 

Early  in  the  autumn  the  first  indication  that  the 
memorials  sent  to  Congress  in  1838  and  1839  were 


n 


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11 


496 


MISSION  A  R  V  HIS  TOR  V. 


m 


i  ■• 


having  any  effect  on  the  action  of  the  government 
relating  to  Oregon  was  received  in  the  country. 
Dr.  Elijah  White,  who  had  formerly  held  the  p(,»M- 
tion  of  physician  to  the  mission,  hut  had  returned 
to  the  States,  arrived  again  in  the  country  holding 
a  government  commission  as  suh-Agent  for  the 
Indians  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  peo- 
ple were  rejoiced  at  even  so  slight  an  evidence 
that  the  government  would,  sometime,  extend  its 
jurisdiction  over  the  country,  and.  at  least,  were 
encouraged  to  wait  with  confidence.  Gradually  it 
became  rather  clear  that  the  American  sentiment 
predominated  over  the  English.  This  induced  the 
British  and  Catholic  influence  to  adopt  the  plan  of 
forming  a  government  entirely  independent;  na- 
tional in  itself;  a  new  power  among  the  world's 
nationalities.  Dr.  McLoughlin  gave  the  weight  of 
his  name  and  influence  to  this  scheme,  carrying 
with  him.  of  course,  the  men  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  the  Catholic  clergy,  and  the  retired  ser- 
vants of  the  Company.  This  was  a  combination 
not  easy  to  be  overcome.  It  was  the  more  danger- 
ous because  Dr.  McLoughlin  was  a  man  of  large 
business,  much  the  largest  in  the  country,  and  had 
retained  able  attorneys  to  care  for  it,  who  were  al- 
ways ready  to  serve  whatever  he  considered  for  his 
interests.      At   a  public  lyceum   in   Oregon   City, 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT,    /gy 


where  many  of  the  most  influential  meii  of  the  com- 
munity were  accustomed  to  meet  to  (Uscuss  public 
questions,  Mr.  L.  W.  Hastinj^s,  as  attorney  for  Dr. 
McLoughlin,  introduced  a  resolution  in  the  fol- 
lowing words:  .    . 

''Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  for  the  settlers 
of  the  coast  to  organize  an  independent  govern- 
ment." ...  • 

At  the  close  of  the  discussion  the  vote  was  taken 
and  the  resolution  was  adopted.  This  was  a  crit- 
ical moment  in  the  history  of  Oregon.  While  this 
lyceum  was  not  a  legislative  body,  it  had  influence 
enough  to  determine  the  action  of  the  community 
on  any  question  upon  which  the  people  was  so 
evenly  divided  as  upon  this-  All  the  British  party 
were  in  favor  of  this  action,  because  anything  that 
would  prevent  the  United  States  from  assuming 
jurisdiction  over  the  country  would  only  be  a  way 
of  turning  the  country  over  to  Great  Britain-  This, 
doubtless,  was  the  ultimate  end  sought  by  the  par- 
ty that  sustained  the  resolution.  The  resolution 
was  passed,  but  the  man  was  at  hand  who  was 
equal  to  the  emergency.  It  was  Mr.  George  Aber- 
nethy.  the  steward  of  the  Methodist  Mission.  ha\  - 
ing  charge  of  all  the  temporal  business  of  the  Mis- 
sion, who  was  a  resident  of  Oregon  City.  He  im- 
mediately shifted  the  issue  by  introducing  the  fol- 


:  1    rl 


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ii 


i 


ti 


111     : 


498 


MISSION  A  R  y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


lowing    resolution    for   discussion     the     following 

week : 

"Resohed.  That  if  the  United  States  extends  its 
jurisdiction  over  this  country  durii.  >;  the  next  four 
years  it  will  not  be  expedient  to  form  an  indepen- 
dent government." 

A  very  earnest  debate  followed.  Both  sides  were 
at  their  best.  lk)th  felt  that  the  action  here  to  be 
had  would  determine  the  course  the  Oregon  com- 
munity would  take  in  the  establishment  of  a  gov- 
ernment, which,  evidently,  could  not  be  much 
longer  delayed  without  plunging  the  country  into 
a  state  of  riotous  anarchy.  By  a  considerable  ma- 
jority the  resolution  of  Mr.  Abernethy  was  adopted. 

This  resolution,  in  effect,  pledged  the  people 
against  an  "Independent  government,"  at  least  for 
four  years.  It  also  clearly  indicated  the  abiding 
faith  of  the  American  party  that  the  laws  of  the 
United  States  would  soon  be  extended  over 
Oregon.  It  also  left  the  wa\  open  for  the  organi- 
zation of  such  a  scheme  of  order  as  the  peo])le 
might  adopt  that  woukl  anticipate  iis  own  super- 
cession  by  the  authority  of  the  United  States  at 
some  future  date. 

There  were  three  classes  of  opinion  in  the  coun- 
try at  this  time  in  regard  to  the  proper  action  to  l)e 
had.  First,  and  perhaps  stronger  than  either  of  the 
others,  as  it  was  led  by  the  influence  of  the  Hud- 


kXJ 


THE  PROl'ISIONAL  GOVERNMENT,   ^^if 


son's  Ray  Company,  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Mc- 
Loujj^hlin;  An  Independent  (iovernment.    Second, 
a  Provisional  (iovernment  lookinj^  to  the  early  ex- 
tension of  the  authority  of  the  United  States  over 
the  country.     Third,  a  continuation  of  the  present 
con(htion  until  the  United  States  should  extend  its 
laws  over  Oregon.     The  American  sentiment  was 
somewhat  divided  between  the  second  and  third 
propositions.      Mr.   Abernethy's  resolution   had  a 
strong  tendency  to  unite  this  sentiment,  as  it,  in 
connection  with   the  action  on  the  resolution  of 
Mr.  Hastings,  showed  clearly  that  the  majority  of 
the  people  were  decided  that  a  government  was  a 
necessity.      It  became  at   once,  therefore,  only  a 
(|uestion  whether  it  should  be  "Independent"  or 
"Provisional."       The     "Independent"     movement 
meant'  nothing  ultimately  but  British  ownership. 
The  "Provisional"  movement  meant  just  as  cer- 
tainly American  ownership.    The  action  that  must 
now  soon  be  had  would  determine  what  the  people 
of  Oregon  themselves  chose  as  the  relation  of  the 
future  State  that  all  now  saw  was  soon  to  rise  out 
of  the  somewhat  chaotic  condition  of  the  coim- 
try.      What    that    choice    should   be    when    made 
undoubtedlv  meant  the  decision  of  the  "Oreoon 
question."     It  was  a  pivotal  time;   and  Mr.  .\ber- 
nethy's  resolution  was  the  pivot  on  which  the  fu- 
ture turned. 


r 


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Ur  : 


■  I 


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li 


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i          i 

ill         '^ 

Jfoo 


MISSION AR  V  HIS  TOR  V. 


Fearing-  that  the  swing  of  opinion  was  against 
the  formation  of  an  "Independent"  government, 
those  who  liad  favored  that  began  to  fall  in  line 
against  any  government  at  all.  The  reason  is  ob- 
vious. A  Provisional  government  meant  simply  a 
temporary  regulation  which  avowedly  looked  for- 
ward to  the  speedy  occupancy  of  the  country  by 
the  United  States.  This  was  the  one  thing  that 
all  who  favored  an  Independent  government  were 
trying  to  avoid.  That  movement  was  from  the  be- 
ginning to  end  in  l^half  of  the  British  ownership  of 
Oregon  under  the  guise  of  independency  until  such 
a  time  as  the  guise  could  be  thrown  ot^f  and  the 
ownership  proclaimed- 

Events  beg.'::i  now  rapidly  to  hasten.  Space  does 
not  permit  i^^  to  follow  the  successive  steps  of  the 
drama,  only  to  state  their  outcome.  After  some 
important  preliminar}'  meetings  and  conferences 
on  the  part  of  the  friends  of  a  Provisional  govern- 
ment, and  many  counter  movements  on  the  part 
of  those  who  had  adopted  the  shibboleth  of  "No 
Government,"  a  meeting  was  called  to  be  held  at 
Champoeg  on  the  2d  day  of  May.  1843,  ^t  which 
all  understood  that  the  determinative  action  would 
be  taken.  Pending  this  meeting  "An  Address  of  the 
Canadian  citizens  of  Oregon  to  the  meeting  at 
Champoeg,"  was  circulated  throughout  the  coun- 


m 


THE  PRO  VISIONAL  GO  VERNMENT.  501 


inst 
ent, 


try,  and  every  effort  was  made  to  prevent  affirma- 
tive action  at  the  meeting  of  May  2d.  This  "Ad- 
dress" was  written  by  Rev.  F.  N.  Blanchet,  a  very 
astute  Roman  Catholic  priest,  who  afterwards  he- 
came  Archbishop.  He  was  a  master  in  dialectics 
in  his  own  tongue,  the  French,  but  was  not  able 
to  perfectly  Anglicise  his  speech.  It  was  ably  con- 
ceived, though  expressed  in  imperfect  English.  A 
quotation  of  paragraphs  11  and  12  will  disclose  the 
animus  and  purpose  of  the  entire  address.  They 
are  as  follows: 

"11.  That  we  consider  the  country  free,  at  pres- 
ent to  all  nations  till  government  shall  have  decid- 
ed; open  to  every  individual  wishing  to  settle, 
without  distinction  of  origin,  and  without  askin,;^- 
him  anything,  either  to  become  an  English,  Span- 
ish, or  American  citizen. 

12.  So  we.  English  subjects,  proclaim  to  be  free, 
as  well  as  those  who  come  from  France,  California, 
or  the  United  States,  or  even  natives  of  this  coun- 
try; and  we  desire  unison  with  all  the  respectable 
citizens  who  wish  to  settle  in  this  country;  or  we 
ask  to  be  recognized  as  free  among  ourselves  '^o 
make  such  regulations  as  appear  suitable  to  our 
wants,  save  the  general  interest  of  having  justice 
from  all  strangers  who-  might  injure  us,  and  that 
our  reasonable  customs  and  pretensions  be  re- 
spected." 

Through  the  ambiguous  expressions  of  this  ex- 
tract is  shown  as  clearly  as  any  thing  can  be 
shown,   that  the  real  conflict  that  v/as  to  be  joined 


S02 


MISS  TON  A  R  Y  HIS  TOR  Y. 


at  the  meeting  at  Champoeg  was  the  old  one  of 
British  or  American  ownership  of  Oregon,  now  on 
the  very  point  of  coming  to  a  decisive  issue  before 
the  people  of  Oregon  itself. 

It  was  an  intense  moment  when  the  appointed 
meeting  gathered  at  Champoeg  on  the  2d  day  of 
May,  and  it  was  found  that  the  larger  part  of  the 
adult  males  of  the  Oregon  settlement  were  present 
and  ready  for  the  decisive  contest.  Dr.  Ira  L.  Bab- 
cock,  of  the  Methodist  Mission,  was  made  chair- 
man of  the  meeting,  and  G.  W.  Le  Breton  elected 
secretary.  A  committee  of  twelve,  which  had  been 
appointed  at  a  previous  meeting  to  report  at  this, 
made  a  report  which  favored  an  organization.  A 
motion  to  accept  it  was  made,  but- the  Hudson's 
Hay  men  and  the  Catholics  under  the  lead  of  Rev. 
F.  N.  Blanchet,  unanimously  voted  "No,"  and  the 
motion  to  accept  was  lost.  There  was  much  con- 
fusion and  some  consternation  at  this  result,  for  it 
seemed  that  all  the  hopes  of  those  who  had  labored 
so  earnestly  and  patriotically  in  behalf  of  the  or- 
ganization of  a  Provisional  government  were  to  be 
blasted.  Mr.  Blanchet's  forces  were  well  trained, 
and  though  many  of  them  did  not  well  understand 
the  English  language,  they  could  say  "No"  when 
any  motion  was  made  by  one  on  the  side  of  an  or- 
ganization, and  "Yes."  when  the  motion  was  made 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  50^ 


by  one  of  their  own  side.     There  was  hesitation 
about  another  motion  that  would  luring  the  ques- 
tion to  a  direct  vote.     In  the  midst  of  the  uncer- 
tainty,   a    loyal    mountaineer    stepped    fortli    and 
solved  the  uncertainty.    '']ot  Meek,"  an  old  Rocky 
Mountain  man,  whom  our  readers  have  seen  before 
in  this  volume,  of  tall,  erect  and  connnandin!^  form, 
fine  visa<ie.  with  a  coal-black  eye.  and  the  voice  of 
a  f*^entor.  stepped  out  of  the  crowd  and  shouted. 
"All  in  favor  of  the  report  of  the  committee  and 
an  organizf.tion,  follow  me."    The  Americans,  with 
a  few  of  the  more  intelligent  and  far  seeing  of  the 
Canadians  were  quickly  in  line  by  his  side..     The 
opposition. led  by  Blanchet.  'ixX^A  more  slowly  "to 
the  left."    The  lines  were  carefully  counted.    Fifty- 
two  stood  with  Meek;  fifty  with  Blanchet;  so  nar- 
row was  the  margin  on  this  historic  hour  in  favor 
of  the  organization  of  any  government  at  all. 

If  Joseph  L.  Meek  had  never  performed  any 
other  public  act  worth}'  of  mention  the  act  of  this 
day  would  alone  have  made  his  name  historic-  He 
was  a  leader  among  the  Rocky  Mountain  men  who 
had  abandoned  the  perilous  and  unsatisfactory  life 
of  the  fur  hunter  for  a  home  under  the  blue  skies 
and  on  the  flowery  prairies  of  the  Willamette. 
These  were,  almost  to  a  man,  loyal  Americans,  and 
m  all  the  questions  that  were  being  thus  adjudicat- 


:! 


Gl 


i^ 


1 


1 

; 

ipl 

)    .'  ' 

I 

I- 


504 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


ed  in  Oregon  they  could  be  depended  uix>n  to  vote 
and  act  for  the  interests  of  the  United  States.  The 
mountaineer  and  the  missionary  stood  side  by  side 
on  this  occasion,  as,  indeed,  they  did  on  many  an- 
other that  concerned  the  country  which  they  had 
both  chosen  for  their  home. 

The  result  of  the  count  was  received  with  ring- 
ing shouts  by  the  Americans;  shouts  which  will 
''go  ringing  down  the  grooves  of  time,"  as  mark- 
ing an  act  hardly  less  decisive  than  any  other  one 
act  that  illustrates  the  history  of  Oregon.  Prompt- 
ly the  chairman  called  the  meeting  to  order  again, 
but  the  defeated  party,  under  the  lead  of  Mr.  Blan- 
chet,  silently  and  somewhat  sullenly  withdrew, 
leaving  only  those  who  had  voted  in  the  affirmative 
to  conclude  the  business  of  the  day.  This  was  eas- 
ily accomplished,  as  the  meeting  was  now  in  the 
hands  of  its  friends.  It  proceeded  at  once  to  the 
organization  of  a  form  of  government,  providing 
for  the  election  of  a  supreme  judge,  with  probate 
powers,  a  clerk  of  the  court,  a  sheriflf,  three  magis- 
trates, three  constables,  a  treasurer,  a  major  and 
three  captains.  It  also  appointed  a  Legislative  Com- 
mittee of  nine.  These  places  were  all  filled  by  com- 
petent and  patriotic  men,  as  follows:  A.  E.  Wil- 
son, supreme  judge;  G.  W.  Le  Breton,  clerk  of  the 
court;  J.  Meek,  sheriff;   W.  H.  Willson,  treasurer; 


side 

'  an- 

had 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  505 

and  Messrs.  D.  Hill,  Robert  Shortess,  Robert  New- 
ell, Alanson  Beers,  T,  J.  Hubbard.  W.  H.  Gray.  J. 
O'Neil.  R.  Moore  and  William  Dougherty.  Legis- 
lative Committee. 

This  meeting  adjourned  to  the  5th  day  of  July, 
when  it  was  to  hear  a  report  from  the  Legislative 
Committee  on  a  form  of  organic  law  for  the  nas- 
cent commonwealth. 

It  had  been  fixed  on  the  5th  day  of  July  in  order 
that  the  people  might  gather  on  the  day  preceed- 
ing  and  show  their  American  loyalty  by  a  grand 
"Independence  Celebration."  Both  the  celei)ra- 
tion  and  the  meeting  on  the  5th  were  occasions 
to  call  out  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  Rev.  Gusta- 
vus  Hines  delivered  an  oration  on  the  4th,  and  was 
also  the  president  of  the  meeting  on  the  5th. 
Quite  a  number  of  those  who  opposed  an  organi- 
zation at  the  preceeding  meeting  were  present  at 
this  and  announced  their  cordial  support  of  the 
objects  sought  to  be  obtained  by  the  Americans. 

The  Catholic  missionaries  and  the  members  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  however,  not  only  did 
not  attend,  but  publicly  asserted  that  they  would 
not  submit  to  the  authority  of  any  government 
that  might  be  organized.  The  representatives  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  even  addressed  a  com- 
munication to  the  leaders  of  the  movement,  stating 
thatthev  felt  abundantlv  able  to  defend  both  them- 


n 


■1^ 


I 


jo<5 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


Vi !  - 


"I! 


\  m 


Hi 


selves  and  their  political  rights.  But  neither  op- 
])osition  nor  tiireats  gave  pause  to  the  determined 
men  who  were  leading  this  movement  for  a  govern- 
ment that  should  be  American. 

With  affairs  'in  this  attitude,  Mr.  Hines  an- 
nounced that  the  report  of  the  Legislative  commit- 
tee was  in  order.  It  was  accordingly  read  by  Mr. 
Le  Breton.  It  consisted  of  a  body  of  what  were 
styled  "organic  laws,"  prefaced  by  the  following 
preamble:  •  , 

"We,  the  people  of  Oregon  Territory,  for  the 
purpose  of  mutual  protection,  and  to  secure  peace 
and  prosperity  among  ourselves,  agree  to  adopt 
the  following  laws  and  regulations  until  such  time 
as  the  United  States  of  America  extend  their  juris- 
diction over  us."  ■ 

The  report  of  the  Legislative  Committee,  with 
slight  amendments,  was  adopted  by  the  meeting. 
The  report  provided  for  the  election  of  an  "Blxecu- 
tive  Committee"  of  three,  and,  on  ballot  being  ta- 
ken. Alanson  Beers,  David  Hill  and  Joseph  Gale 
were  chosen-  The  other  officers  elected  in  May 
were  continued  until  the  following  May. 

When  this  primary  meeting  of  the  loyal  citizens 
of  Oregon  adjourned  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of 
July,  1843,  Oregon  had  passed  from  a  condition 
where  every  man  was  a  law  unto  himself  into  th.it 
of  an  organized  political  commonwealth. 

This  action  was  bold,  and  might  be  called  revo- 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  507 


revo- 


lutionary, as  Oregon  was  claimed  alike  by  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States-  As  against  the 
claim  of  Great  Britain  it  approached  rebellion. 
The  people  of  Oregon  had  decided  for  themselves 
where  their  allegiance  lay.  That  decision  did  more 
than  any  one  thing  or  any  dozen  things  else  to  de- 
cide the  "Oregon  Question."  and  if  it  is  justifiable 
to  claim  for  any  man  or  any  one  fact  the  glory  of 
"Saving  Oregon"  to  the  United  States,  it  must 
lay  to  the  credit  of  the  men  whose  presence  and 
work  in  the  country,  and  whose  constant  memorial- 
izing of  the  government  of  the  United  States  in 
behalf  of  the  country,  and  whose  intense  American- 
ism, always  and  everywhere  displayed,  had  made 
the  organization  of  the  "Provisional  Government" 
a  possibility. 

The  government  thus  ordained  was  so  wisely  ad- 
ministered that  ojjposition  gradually  subsided.  Tn 
the  autumn  following  an  inunigration  of  not  far 
from  TOGO  people  from  the  eastern  states  entered 
the  Willamette  Valley,  and  melted  quietly  and  hap- 
pily away  into  the  body  politic  of  the  embryo  State, 
thus  giving  such  a  vast  preponderence  to  the 
American  population  and  sentiment  that  even  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  the  Catholic  priests 
saw  that  further  opposition  would  be  useless,  and 
began  to  co-operate  with  the  new  order  of  things. 


PI 


5'>^ 


M/SSIONAR V  HISTORY. 


^1 


'1 


Some  changes  were  subsequently  made  in  the  "Or- 
ganic law."  The  "Executive  Committee"  of 
three  was  found  to  be  cumbersome,  and  provision 
was  made  for  the  election  of  a  governor,  and  at 
an  election  in  1845,  George  Abernethy,  whose  name 
has  so  often  and  honorably  appeared  in  this  history, 
was  chosen  to  that  most  important  place. 

To  the  immortal  honor  of  Oregon  it  may  be  re- 
corded that  no  country  ever  had  a  greater  propor- 
tion of  men  strong  enough  and  wise  enough  to 
govern  themselves  than  she  had.  This  was  the  re- 
sult of  the  auspices  under  which  the  foundations 
of  her  civilization  were  'aid.  Her  pioneers  were 
the  Missionaries  of  the  Cross,  and  no  names  at 
this  day  of  1899  are  mentioned  so  often  by  her  his- 
torians as  the  names  of  the  noble  missionary  bands 
of  the  period  beginning  with  Jason  Lee,  first  and 
foremost  of  them  all.  in  1834. 

Mr.  Abernethy's  term  of  of^ce  was  in  most  exi- 
gent times  for  the  new  and  feeble  commonwealth, 
but  he  filled  it  in  a  manner  that  reflected  honor  on 
himself,  on  the  missionary  service  from  which  he 
graduated  to  the  chair  of  executive  of  the  yovmg 
commonwealth,  and  to  the  great  advantage  of  the 
people  who  had  chosen  him  to  be  the  First  Gov- 
ernor of  Oregon.  All  questions  of  the  ownership 
of  Oregon  having  been  decided  in  the  manner  fore- 


Dr- 
of 


THE  PROVISIONAL  GOVERNMENT,    sag 

cast  in  the  organization  of  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment, and  the  (Jovernment  of  the  United  States 
having  organized  her  into  a  Territory  of  the  Union, 
on  the  3d  day  of  March,  1849,  Governor  (ieorge 
Abernethy,  of  the  Provisional  Government,  passed 
over  his  authority  into  the  hands  of  Governor  Jo- 
seph Lane,  appointed  Territorial  Governor  by  Pres- 
ident Polk,  and  the  Provisional  was  merged  into 
the  National  authority. 

This  change  was  a  change  only  in  form.  The 
Provisional  Government  was  an  American  Govern- 
ment.  California  had  her  ''Bear  Flag,"  Texas  had 
her  "Lone  Star,"  but  Oregon  never  marched  under 
any  other  banner  than  the  "Stars  and  Stripes-" 
From  the  time  Jason  Lee  stepped  over  the  ridge  of 
the  continent  on  the  15th  day  of  June,  1834,  and 
began  his  march  tc  the  western  sea,  her  mission- 
aries, her  innnigrants,  her  mountaineers  forever 
sung  to  the  winds  and  the  waves  of  her  glorious 
mountains  and  her  illimitable  seas 

"The  Star  Spangled  Banner  forever  shall  wave 

O'er  the  Land  of  the  Free  and  the  Home  of  the  Brave" 


w 


True,  he  found,  as  he  stepped  on  the  i)ebbly 
beach  of  the  mighty  Columbia  at  Vancouver,  on 
the  1 6th  day  of  September,  1834,  a  flag-staff,  and 
a  British  flag  flying  at  its  peak,  but  it  was  marred 
by  the  cabalistic  sign,  "H.  B.  C."  on  its  crimson 


VX 


I;' 


5'o 


MISSIONARY  HISTORY. 


U 


W-'-  '-'%\ 


folds.     It  was  degraded  from  its  national  signifi- 
cance to  the  mere  emi)lem  of  trade  and  barter  and 
gain.     Th€  results  of  his  work,  and  the  work  of 
those  who  accompanied  him  and  of  those  who  fol- 
lowed him  have  found  their  glorious  vindication  in 
the  grand  Pacific  Empire  that  they  revealed,  and 
then  confirmed  to  the  Great  Republic.     And  it  is 
not    possible    to    evade    the    historic    conclusion 
reached  by  one  of  the  most  painstaking  students  of 
the  story  of  missionary  work  on   the   Northwest 
coast;  "That  to  the  Methodist  missionaries  and  their 
friends  in  Washington  and  elsewhere^  was  due  the 
Americanization  of  the  Willamette  Valley,  and  the 
inaugural  movements  towards  a  Provisional  Gov- 
ernment with  all  that  it  implied."     Its  implication 
and  its  sure  prophecy '\Vas  the  treaty  of  1846,  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  under 
which  the  latter  withdrew  her  flag  from  all  the 
territory  of  the  "Old  Oregon,"  and  the  former  lift- 
ed the  "Stars  and  Stripes"  in  unchallenged  author- 
ity over  what  is  now  the  grandest,  most  resource- 
ful, most  patriotic  and  most  promising  of  our  Na- 
tional Domain.    This  Empire  of  the  West  faces  the 
old  Orient,  and  here  are  the  forces  that  will  renew 
the  great  histories  of  the  olden  times  in  them  under 
the  loftier  inspirations  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  spirit 
that     so     splendidly     dominates     this     "Ultimate 
West." 


ma^sm 


V 


